LABORArORY, FIELD AND 

PRoiEcr GUIDE ro 

AGRICULTURE 



SCHMIDT 



LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT 
GUIDE 

IN- 
ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



LABORATORY, FIELD 
AND PROJECT GUIDE 



•IN- 



ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



/,^: BY 

G/Ai SCHMIDT, M.S. 

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION, COLORADO STATE 
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 

FORMERLY INSTRUCTOR IN AGRICULTURE AND PRINCIPAL OF 

RURAL SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, STATE NORMAL, 

WHITEWATER, WIS. 




D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
NEW YORK CHICAGO 

1920 






Copyright, 1920, by 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 



FEB -3 1920 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



©CI.A559n28 



TO THE TEACHER 

Every sincere teacher of elementary agriculture is 
striving to make his teaching so practical that it will lead 
to worthwhile accomplishments. This means that he 
must not neglect laboratory, field, and project work. 
The purpose of this little book is to act as a practical 
guide to such teachers. All the exercises are arranged 
seasonally so that the various phases of the work may be 
studied at a time when they will mean most to a child. 

The exercises in this book are intended primarily to 
cover two years' work. They are equally adaptable, 
however, to courses of shorter length where more time 
per week is allotted to the subject. In both cases, a 
teacher should consider the outline so elastic as not only 
to change the order of the exercises when she considers 
it wise to do so, but also to include others which she 
considers better fitted to the particular needs of the com- 
munity in which she teaches. 

In the book will be found enough material for labor- 
atory, field, and project work to meet the requirements 
of most states. Throughout the book emphasis has been 
put upon those topics in which a child in the 7th, 8th, 
and 9th grades can take part. 

The book should be used' in connection with some 
good elementary argicultural text book. Although it is 
primarily adapted to use in conjunction with "An 
Introduction to Agriculture" by Upham and Schmidt, 
published by D. Appleton & Co.. it can be used with any 



TO THE TEACHER 

of the more recent text books on elementary agriculture. 

All the exercises in the book have been put to a 
practical test by several years' experience in the teaching 
and supervising of young people who were being fitted 
to teach in rural and state graded schools. 

Every child in the class should possess a copy of the 
book, as all the directions throughout the exercises are 
given directly to him. Thus, much time and work are 
saved for the teacher in the planning, the directing, and 
the class room preparation for the work in agriculture ; 
also, much time is saved for the pupil by simplifying 
the preparations of his outlines and notes. 

Each teacher should make use of the exercises and 
projects best adapted to the community in which he 
teaches. The aim of the book is to help teachers in all 
communities to follow more intelligently the prescribed 
course of study, not to supplant or supplement it. Each 
teacher should, also, plan well in advance of the work of 
the class, for all the field trips and projects he intends 
the pupils to undertake. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

SEPTEMBER 

Exercise Page 

1. Study of a Potato Plant I 

2. Common Varieties of Potatoes 3 

3. Judging Potatoes 5 

4. Fall Weeds 8 

5. Selecting Seed Corn 10 

6. Curing and Storing Seed Corn 12 

7. Cuttings from Flowering Plants 14 

8. Digestible Nutrients in Common Feeds .... 16 

9. Nutritive Ratio of Common Feeds 18 

10. The Corn Belt States 20 

11. Culling the Flock 21 

12. Com Survey 24 

Projects 

1. Gathering and Storing Seed Corn 25 

2. Harvesting and Storing Winter Apples 28 

3. Storing Winter Vegetables 30 

Exhibits 

1. Corn Show 30 

2. Vegetable and Fruit Exhibit 31 

Things to Observe 

OCTOBER 
Exercise 

1 . A Study of Soils 32 

2. Scale Insects 33 

3. Pruning Trees 34 

4. Poultry Houses 36 

5. The Nutritive Ratio of a Ration 38 

6. The Cost of a Ration 40 

7. Winter Rations for Poultry 42 

8. Poultry Records and Accounts 43 

9. Poultry Booklet 47 

10. Potato Survey 49 

vii 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Projects Page 

1. Keeping Poultry Records 51 

2. Putting the Garden into a Good Winter Condition , 52 

Exhibits 

1 . Poultry Exhibit and Sale 53, 

2. Project Booklets 54 

Things to Observe 54 

NOVEMBER 
Exercise 

1. Study of an Ear of Corn . 55 

2. A. Learning to Know the Different Grains ... 56 
B. Grading Grains 57 

3. Judging a Dairy Cow 59 

4. Competitive Judging of Dairy Cows 62 

5. Cost of a Pound of Digestible Nutrients in Different 

Feeds 64 

6. Haecker's Feeding Standards 66 

7. Balancing Rations for Dairy Cows 69 

8. Judging Poultry 71 

9. Dairy Cattle Booklet 73 

10. Dairy Cattle Survey . . 75 

Projects 

1 . Sprouting Oats for Laying Hens 76 

2. Winter Management of a Small Flock of Pullets . . 78 
Things to Observe 79 

DECEMBER 

Exercise 

1. Testing Milk for Butter Fat 80 

2. Testing Cream and Skim Milk for Butter Fat . . 83 

3. Dairy Records and Computations 85 

4. Placing Three Ears of Corn 87 

5. A. Judging Corn 89 

B. Market Grades of Corn 92 

6. Structure of Seeds 94 

7. Examination of Farm Seeds 95 

8. Digestible Nutrients from an Acre of Land ... 96 

9. The Influence of Drainage on Plant Growth ... 97 
10. Grain Survey 9^ 

viii 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Projects Page 

1. Keeping Dairy Feed Records 99 

2. To Keep Milk and Butter Fat Records of the Home 

Herd 100 

Things to Observe loi 

JANUARY 

Exercise 

1. How Seeds Germinate 102 

2. Candling Eggs 103 

3. To Study the Effect of Lime on Clay 106 

4. Rise of Water in Soils 106 

5. How Too Much Vegetable Matter Checks Capillary 

Rise of Water 108 

6. To Show How Soil Water Enters the Roots of Plants 109 

7. Plant Food Removed b}^ Crops iii 

8. Plant Food Added to Soils 112 

9. Crop Rotations 113 

ID. Farm Crop Booklet 115 

II. Silo Survey 116 

Projects 

I. Checking up the Home Herd 116 

Things to Observe 117 

FEBRUARY 
Exercise 

1 . Water Capacity of Soils 118 

2. Downward Movement of Water in Soils . . . . 119 

3. Moisture and Soil Temperature 120 

4. Injurious Effects of Too Much Fertilizer . . . . 122 

5. Action of Acids on Limestone 123 

6. Study of a Mold 124 

7. Starch in Seeds 125 

8. Study of a Seed Catalog 126 

9. Origin of Breeds of Cattle 127 

10. Leading Alfalfa Growing States . . . . . . . 128 

11. Raising Seedlings in Flats 130 

12. Orchard Survey 131 

Projects 

1. Raising Flower Seedlings 132 

2. Raising Vegetable Seedlings 133 

Things to Observe 134 

ix 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

MARCH 

Exercise Page 

1. Testing Seed Corn 135 

2. Planning the Home Garden 140 

3. Hotbeds 142 

4. A Cold Frame 144 

5. Tree Planting 145 

6. Preparing the Garden 146 

7. Testing Soils for Acidity 149 

8. Hard Wood Cuttings 150 

9. Root Grafting 151 

10. Garden Records and Accounts 153 

1 1 . Horse Survey 155 

Projects 

1. Testing Seed Corn 156 

2. Management of the Home Garden 157 

3. Pig Project 159 

Things to Observe 163 



APRIL 
Exercise 

1. Checking Evaporation 164 

2. Cutting Seed Potatoes 165 

3. Hatching Chicks 166 

4. Care of Chicks 168 

5. Preserving Eggs 169 

6. Examination of Commercial Fertilizers . . . . 171 

7. Mixing Commercial Fertilizers 171 

8. Staking out the Garden 173 

9. Planting the Garden 174 

10. Plan of the Home Farm 176 

1 1 . Forage Crop Survey 1 76 

Projects 

1 , Hatching and Raising Chicks 177 

2. Raising a Calf 180 

Booklet 

I. Garden Diary 182 

Things to Observe 183 

X 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

MAY 

Exercise Page 

1. Effect of Light upon Plant Growth 184 

2. Circulation of Water in Plants 185 

3. Soil Tests 1 86 

4. Transplanting 187 

5. Nodules and Legumes 189 

6. Making Spraying Solutions 191 

7. Ear- to-Row Corn Test ig-^ 

8. Potato Tests 106 

9. Poultry Survey 197 

Projects 

1. Growing a Plot of Beans 198 

2. Growing a Plot of Corn 200 

Things to Observe 202 



JUNE 
Exercise 

1. A Study of Flowers 203 

2. A Study of Insects 204 

3. The Life History of a Fly 20 s 

4. Poultry Pests 206 

5. Study of a Garden 207 

6. Spring Weeds 209 

7. Keeping Milk Sweet 210 

8. Swine Survey 210 

9. Survey Booklet 211 

Projects 

I. Summer Work 212 

Things to Observe 212 

xi 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 
APPENDIX 

Table Page 

1 . Digestible Nutrients in Feeds 214 

2. Elements of Plant Food in Crops and Feeds . 214 

3. Plant Food in Commercial Fertilizing Materials . 215 

4. Location of State Agricultural Experiment Stations . 216 

5. Legal Weight of Various Commodities 217 

6. What Concentrated Feeds Weigh 218 

7. Approximate Capacity of CyHndrical Silos . . 218 

8. Modified Wolff-Lehmann Feeding Standard . . . 219 

9. Laboratory and School Supply Companies . . . 220 

10. Number of Trees, Shrubs, and Plants to an Acre . . 221 

11. Gardeners' Planting Table 222 

12. Score Card for Commercial Eggs 225 

13. Score Cards for: 

Vegetables 225 

Fruits 226 

Canned Fruits and Vegetables 226 



CONTENTS 



(Arranged According to Topics) 
FIELD CROPS, SEEDS, AND WEEDS 



Potatoes 


P.\GE 




Page 


Study of a Potato Plant 


I 


The Corn Belt States . 


20 


Common Varieties of Po- 




Corn Survey .... 


24 


tatoes ..... 


3 


Corn Show .... 


30 


Judging Potatoes 


5 


Study of an Ear of Corn 


55 


Market Grades of Po- 




Placing Three Ears of 




tatoes 


7 


Corn 


87 


Potato Survey . . . 


49 


Judging Corn 


89 


Cutting Seed Potatoes . 


165 


Market Grades of Corn 


92 


Potato Tests . . . 


196 


Silo Survey .... 


116 


Weeds 




Testing Seed Corn . . 


135 


Fall Weeds .... 


8 


Corn Testing — Project . 


156 


Spring Weeds . . . 


209 


Ear-to-Row Corn Test . 


193 


Forage Crops 




Growing a Plot of Corn 




Leading Alfalfa Growing 




—Project .... 


200 


States 


128 






Examination of Farm 




vSeeds 




Seeds 


95 


Structure of Seeds . . 


94 


Forage Crops Survey 


176 


Examination of Farm 




Nodules and Legumes . 


189 


Seeds 


95 


Grains 




How Seeds Germinate . 


102 


Learning to Know the 




To Test Seeds for Starch 


125 


Different Grains . . 


56 






Market Grades of Grains 


58 


Miscellaneous 




Grain Survey 


98 


Plan of the Home Farm 


176 


Crop Rotations . . . 


113 


Effect of Light upon 




Farm Crop Booklet . 


115 


Plant Growth . . 


184 


Corn 




Circulation of Water in 




Selecting Seed Com . . 


10 


Plants 


185 


Curing and Storing Seed 




Nodules and Legumes . 


189 


Corn 


12 


A Study of Flowers . 


203 



xiu 



CONTENTS 



SOILS AND SOIL FERTILI? 



Page 
Study of Soils . . . ^2 
The Influence of Drain- 
age on Plant Growth 97 
To Study the Effect of 

Lime on Clay . . . 106 
Rise of Water in Soils . 106 
How Too Much Vege- 
table Matter Checks 
Capillary Rise of 

Water 108 

To Show How Soil Wa- 
ter Enters the Roots 
of Plants . . . 109 

Plant Food Removed by 

Crops Ill 

Plant Food Added to 

Soils 112 

Crop Rotations . . . 113 



Water Capacity of Soils 

Downward Movement of 
Water in Soils 

Moisture and Soil Tem- 
perature .... 

Injurious Effects of Too 
Much Fertilizer . 

Action of Acids on Lime- 
stone 

Testing Soils for Acidity 

Checking Evaporation . 

Examination of Com- 
mercial Fertilizers 

Mixing Commercial Fer- 
tilizers 

Soil Tests .... 

Nodules and Legumes . 



171 



FARM ANIMALS 



Poultry 




Hatching Chicks 


. 166 


Poultry Houses 


36 


Care of Chicks . 


. 168 


Winter Rations for Poul- 




Preserving Eggs 


. 169 


try 


42 


Hatching and Raising 


I 


Poultry Records and Ac- 




Chicks— Project . 


■ ^11 


counts 


43 


Poultry Survey . . 


197 


Poultry Booklet . . 


47 


Poultry Pests . . 


206 


Keeping Poultry Rec- 








ords — Project 


51 






Poultry Exhibit and Sale 


53 






Judging Poultry 


71 


Miscellaneous 




Sprouting Oats for Lay- 




Horse Survey 


155 


ing Hens — Project 


76 


Raising Pigs — Project 


159 


Management of a Small 




A Study of Insects . 


204 


Flock of Pullets- 




Life History of a Fly 


205 


Project .... 


78 


Keeping Milk Sweet 


210 


CandHng Eggs . . . 


103 


Swine Survey . . 


210 



CONTENTS 



Cattle ^^ Page 

Judging a ± ry Cow. . 59 
Competitive Judging of 

Cattle 

Feeding Standard for 

Dairy Cattle . . . 
Balancing Rations for 

Cattle 69 



62 



66 



Dairy Cattle Booklet . 

Testing Milk . . . 

Testing Cream and Skim 
Milk for Butter Fat . 

Dairy Records and Com- 
putations .... 

Keeping Dairy Feed 
Records — Project 

Keeping Milk and Butter 
Fat Records — Project 

Checking up the Home 
Herd — Project . . . 

Origin of Breeds of Cattle 

Raising a Calf — Project 

Keeping Milk Sweet 



73 
80 

83 
85 
99 



116 
127 
180 
210 



Feeds and Feeding 

Digestible Nutrients in 
Common Feeds . 

Nutritive Ratio of Com- 
mon Feeds 

The Nutritive Ratio of 
a Ration .... 

The Cost of a Ration 

Winter Rations for Poul- 
try 

Cost of Digestible Nu- 
trients in Feeds . 

Feeding Standard for 
Dairy Cattle . . . 

Balancing Rations for 
Dairy Cattle . 

Sprouting Oats for Poul- 
try 

Digestible Nutrients 
from an Acre of Land 

Keeping Dairy Feed 
Records — Project 



Page 



18 



38 
40 

42 

64 
66 
69 
76 
96 

99 



GARDENING 



Storing Winter Vegetables 
— Project .... 

Vegetable Exhibit . 

Putting the Garden into a 
Good Winter Condition 
— Project .... 

Study of a Seed Catalog . 

Raising Seedlings in Flats . 

Raising Flower Seedlings 
— Project .... 

Raising Vegetable Seed- 
lings — Project 

Planning the Home Garden 

Making a Hotbed . 

Making a Cold Frame . 



30 
31 



52 
126 
130 



132 

133 
140 
142 
144 



Preparing the Garden . . 146 
Testing Soils for Acidity . 149 
Garden Records and Ac- 
counts 153 

Management of the Home 

Garden — Project . . 157 
Staking out the Garden . 1 73 
Planting the Garden . . 174 
Garden Diary .... 182 
Transplanting . . . . 187 
Preparing Spraying Solu- 
tions 191 

Growing a Plot of Beans — • 

Project 198 

Study of a Garden . . . 207 



CONTENTS 



PLANT DISEASES AND PESTS— SPRAYING 



Pagb 
Scale Insects .... 33 
Study of a Mold . . .124 
Making Spraying Solutions 191 



A Study of Insects . 
Life History of a Fly 



Page 
204 

205 



HORTICULTURE AND PLANT PROPAGATION 

Orchard Survey 
H Planting Trees . . . . 
Making Hard Wood Cut- 



Cuttings from Flowering 
Plants 

Harvesting and Storing 
Apples — Project 

Fruit Exhibit . . . . 

Pruning Trees .... 



28 
31 
34 



tings . 
Root Grafting 



131 
145 

150 
151 



Seed Corn 

Harvesting and Storing 
Winter Apples . 

Storing Winter Vegetables 

Keeping Poultry Records 

Putting the Garden into a 
Good Winter Condition 

Project Booklets . 

Sprouting Oats for Poultry 

Management of a Flock of 
Pullets 

Keeping Dairy Feed Rec- 
ords 

Keeping Milk and Butter 
Fat Records .... 



PROJECTS 

25 Checking up the Home 

Herd 

28 Raising Flower Seedlings . 
30 Raising Vegetable Seed- 

51 lings 

Testing Seed Corn- . 

52 Management of the Home 

54 Garden 157 

76 Raising One or More Pigs 159 

Hatching and Raising 
78 Chicks .... 

Raising a Calf . 
99 Growing a Plot of Beans 

Growing a Plot of Corn 
100 Summer Work . . . , 212 



116 

132 

133 
156 



177 
180 
198 
200 



Corn 
Potato 
Dairy Cattle 
Grains . 
Silo . . . 
Orchard 



SURVEYS 
Horse 



24 
49 
75 
98 
116 
131 



Forage Crops 
Poultry . 
Swine 
Survey Booklet 



155 
176 
197 
210 
211 



CONTENTS 
BOOKLETS 

Page Page 

Poultry 47 Farm Crops . . . . 115 

Project 54 Garden Diary . . . . 182 

Dairy Cattle .... 75 Survey Booklet . . . 211 

EXHIBITS 

Corn Show 30 Fruit Exhibit . . ' . . 31 

Vegetable Exhibit ... 31 Poultry Exhibit and Sale . 53 



LABORATORY, FIELD AND 
PROJECT GUIDE 

SEPTEMBER 
Exercise 1 

STUDY OF A POTATO PLANT 

Object. — To make a careful study of a potato plant. 

Material. — Each pupil in the class should carefully dig 
up a potato plant and bring it to school. The tops and 
roots should be intact and a few potatoes should be at- 
tached to the plant. 

Procedure. — i. Carefully spread the plant out on a 
piece of newspaper and notice its parts — roots, stem, 
tubers, leaves, and flowers. 

2. From what part of the plant do the tubers or po- 
tatoes grow? 

3. Describe the size and shape of the potatoes. What 
is the color of the skin? Is the skin smooth, pimpled, 
or netted? 

4. Are there few or many eyes? How are they dis- 
tributed? Are the eyes deep or shallow? 

5. Were the stems or vines upright or spreading? 
What is their color? 



2 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 




A HEALTHY BUSHEL. — Courtcsy IViscoHstn Experiment Station 

6. Has the potato plant any flowers? Are they abun- 
dant? What is their color? Are the flowers essential 
to the formation of potatoes? 

7. What variety of potatoes did you study? See Ex- 
ercise 2. 

8. If laboratory notes and drawings are kept, draw a 
tuber, natural size, showing the characteristics. 



Questions 

1. How do potatoes grow in size? 

2. What is the composition of a potato? 



SEPTEMBER 3 

3. How does the plant make starch and how does the 
starch get into the potato? 

4. Are any of the potatoes diseased? With what disease? 



Exercise 2 

COMMON VARIETIES OF POTATOES 

Object. — ^To become familiar with the characteristics 
of some of the common varieties of potatoes grown in 
the locality. 

Materials. — Each pupil in the class should bring two 
good specimens of each variety of potatoes grown on 
the home farm. 

Procedure. — i. The table given below shows the char- 
acteristics of some of the more common varieties of 
potatoes. The characteristics of the varieties common 
to the community should be learned. 



Vine 


AND Tuber Characters of Standard Varieties. 


Variety 


Tubers 


Vines 


Flowers 


Rural New 
Yorker 


Round, flattened, oval 
to oblong. Eyes un- 
evenly placed. Blue 
to purple tipped 
sprouts. 


Late variety. Purple 
tinged stems. Dark 
green foliage. Re- 
sistant to tip burn. 


Bluish purple 
and fairly 
abundant. 


Green Moun- 
tain 


Blocky to oblong. 
Flattened. Skin 
netted. Firm. 
Creamy buff color. 
Sprout tips creamy 
green, pink at base. 


Late variety. Stems 
green. Foliage 
bright green. 


White and very 
abundant. 


Burbank 


Long-oblong and flat- 
tened. Pointed 
tubers objection- 
able. Eyes numer- 
ous, evenly dis- 
tributed. Skin 
slightly netted. 


Late variety. Light 
green color. Stems 
silver green and 
abundant. 


White and fairly 
abundant. 



LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Variety 


Tubers 


Vines 


Flowers 


Peerless (Pearl) 


Heart shaped, stem 
end sunken. Flesh 
Very white. Skin 
slightly netted. 


Late variety. Medium 
dark green. Fairly 
bushy. 


Very scarce. Sel- 
dom blooms. 
Buds yellowish 
white. 


Triumph 


Deeprosecolor. Round 
to flattened. Stem 
end sunken. Eyes 
numerous. 


Fairly dark green. 
Leaves broad. Fair- 
ly bushy. Early 
variety. 


Pale pink and 
purple tinged. 
Fairly abun- 
dant. 


Early^Ohio 


Oval. Oblong and 
blocky. Skin pink, 
pimpled. Eyes 
prominent and 
numerous. 


Fairly dark green. 
Stems dark green. 
Upright, bushy 
vine. 


Scarce, yellowish 
white color. 


Early Rose 


Long and flattened. 
Light rose color, 
varying, eyes nu- 
merous. Sprouts 
yellowish green. 
Pink base. 


Light to deep green. 
Thrifty. 


Fairly abundant 
and white. 


Irish Cobbler 


Round to flattened. 
Fairly deep eyes. 
Pink tinge to 
sprouts. Skin 
creamy buff color. 


Dark green and up- 
right. 


Fairly abundant 
and light pink 
color. 



WISCONSIN BULLETIN 280 

2. If there are varieties of potatoes grown in the com- 
munity, but not mentioned in the foregoing table, their 
characteristics may be learned by referring to seed cata- 
logs. 

3. Learn to identify each variety of potato at hand, 
by Studying both the table showing the characteristics 
and the samples. 

4. If scales are available, determine the weight in 
ounces of a fair representative of eacii variety of potato. 

5. At the close of the exercise, mix up the potatoes 
and test your ability in naming each variety. 



SEPTEMBER 5 

Questions 

1. How many ounces does an average size potato weigh? 

How many potatoes should an average hill yield? 

2. How many averaged sized potatoes are there in a 

bushel ? 
To the Teacher. — Inquire and find out what are the com- 
mon varieties of potatoes grown in the community. Make 
an effort to have several good samples of each of these 
varieties on hand. If any of these varieties are not listed 
above, look up their characteristics in a seed catalog, or 
garden book, and write these characteristics on the board 
so that the pupils may copy them. 



Exercise 3 

A. Judging Potatoes 
Object. — To practice judging potatoes by means of a 
score card. 



pipppip pi^^ 




TYPES THAT BRING TOP PRICES. — Courtesy of Soil Improvement Committee, 

Chicago 



6 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Materials. — Samples of standard varieties of potatoes 
grown in the community. 

Procedure. — i. Review exercise 2, paying particular 
attention to the characteristics of the varieties of pota- 
toes to be judged. 

2. Score a sample of eight or ten potatoes of some one 
variety according to the score card here given. 

SCORE CARD FOR POTATOES 



Salient Points 


Intrinsic Points 


Perfect 
Score 


Student's 
Score 


Corrected 
Score 




I. Shape 


25 
20 
lO 
10 
10 
25 








2. Size 








3. Color 
















5. Flesh 








6. Blemishes . . 
















Total 


100 













In preparing the above score card the value of the potatoes for both 
"seed" and market was kept in mind. From the standpoint of "seed" 
alone the value of "shape" should be increased and the value of "blemishes" 
and possibly "size" decreased. The reverse would be true in judging from 
the market standpoint alone. 

I. SHAPE 

The form should be typical for the variety. It should show strong 
vitality. No signs of degeneration should be apparent. In varieties which 
are naturally long, such as the Burbank, thickness of tuber is an indica- 
tion of vitality. In varieties like the Early Ohio, the short oval form is 
an indication of vitality. In varieties like Rural New Yorker No. 2, Sir 
Walter Raleigh, Carman No. 3, Carman No. i, and Norcross, the tubers 
should be as nearly short as they are wide as practicable, and flattened. 
Varieties like Triumph and Irish Cobbler should be fully as short as they 
are wide, the former being slightly flattened and the latter more so. In 
no variety should there be any indications of tapering at either end. They 
should be uniform in shape. They should have as smooth and even a 
surface as possible. Knobs and other roughnesses of the surface are 
undesirable. 

2. SIZE 

The tubers should be of good size. Size indicates vitality and is desir- 
able for market, but, on the other hand, they should not be too large. 
As a rule, people do not want extra large potatoes for kitchen use, and 
they are also not as desirable for seed when too large. They should be 
uniform in size. 

3. COLOR 

The color should be typical for the variety. It should be bright and 
attractive, but not obtained by scrubbing the potatoes. Where different 
varieties in a class of late potatoes are judged against each other the 



SEPTEMBER 7 

white varieties should have preference over the red. In early varieties 
there is no objection to the color of the Ohio as compared with white 
varieties. 

4. EYES 

The eyes should be as shallow as practicable, and they should not be 
in a depression, because it makes the surface of the tubers uneven. 
The eyes should not be unduly numerous for the variety. An increase 
in the number of eyes above normal for the variety is one of the indi- 
cations of degeneration. 

5. FLESH 

The flesh should be a clear white and free from grayish or dull hues, 
or dark colored streaks. There should be no hollowness, and a heavy cut 
should be made for this fault. 

6. BLEMISHES 

Scab is the most common blemish, and a heavy cut should be made 
for this fault, according to the amount present. The tubers should be 
free from all other diseases and injuries caused by insects, bruises or 
careless handling. They should also be in good marketing condition- 
mature, solid, not greened by exposure to light, not sprouted, and free 
from dirt. 

It is preferable not to have them washed. _ They can be cleaned quite 
well with a soft cloth, taking care not to injure the skin bjT rubbing too 
hard. Some prefer washed potatoes because it improves the appearance 
of the exhibit. In case they are washed it should be done by simply 
rinsing them, without rubbing, until the dirt is removed. Scrubbing is 
exceedingly objectionable. 



Sample No Variety 

Student's Name 



3. Get the total or final score of the sample. 

4. Discuss the results. 

5. If time permits, score another sample. 

6. Would the sample of potatoes you judged be of 
grade I or grade 2? See directions for grading given 



below. 



B. Market Grades of Potatoes 



The Department of Agriculture and the United States 
Food Administration jointly recommend and urge the 
adoption of the following grades, which, in their opinion, 
will meet the needs of the Federal Reserve Board, as 
well as those of growers, dealers, and consumers: 



8 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

U. S. GRADE NO. i. 

This grade shall consist of sound potatoes cf similar varietal character- 
istics, which are practically free from dirt or other foreign matter, frost, 
injury, sunburn, second growth, cuts, scab, blight, dry rot, and damage 
caused by disease, insects, or mechanical means. The minimum diameter 
of potatoes of the round varieties shall be one and seven-eighths (i%) 
inches, and of potatoes of the long varieties one and three-fourths (iM) 
inches. In order to allow for variations incident to commercial grading 
and handling, five per centum by weight of any lot may be under the 
prescribed size, and, in addition, three per centum by weight of any such 
lot may be below the remaining requirements of this grade. 
U. S. GRADE NO. 2. 

This grade shall consist of potatoes of similar varietal characteristics, 
which are practically free from frost, injury and decay, and which are 
free from serious damage caused by dirt or other foreign matter, sunburn, 
second growth, cuts, scab, blight, dry rot, or other disease, insects, or 
mechanical means. The minimum diameter shall be one and one-half 
(lYi) inches. In order to allow for variations incident to commercial 
grading and handling, five per centum by weight of any lot may be under 
the prescribed size, and, in addition, five per centum by weight of any 
such lot may be below the remaining requirements of this grade. 

Reference. — F. B. 753: Commercial Handling, Grading, and Marketing 
of Potatoes. 

Exercise 4 



FALL WEEDS 

Object. — To learn to know the names and character- 
istics of the common weeds of the community. 

Explanation. — There are two ways in which this exer- 
cise may be taken up. One is to have each pupil in the 
class bring to school weeds found on the way. These 
weeds should then be studied in the class room. The 
other and the better way is for the class to go out on a 
field trip. Each member of the class should be supplied 
with an old magazine and a lead pencil. 

Procedure. — i. Learn the name of each weed brought 
into the class room. Ask your teacher the names of those 
you do not know. If a weed cannot be named, it should 
be put aside and identified later. Insert a piece of each 
weed if large, or a whole specimen if small, between two 



SEPTEMBER 9 

pages of the magazine and write the name of the weed at 
the top of one of the pages. 

2. Discuss the characteristics of each weed by answer- 
ing the following questions : Is it an annual ? Where 
does it commonly grow? 

3. In this manner all the weeds should be taken up. 
List the weeds identified and opposite their names write 
one or two of their characteristics. 

4. If weeds are studied on a field trip, each weed 
should be discussed as mentioned above, and each mem- 
ber of the class should have a sample of each weed. 

5. In storing the weeds in the old magazine, leave a 
number of unoccupied pages after the place of inser- 
tion of each weed. In this way the weeds will be kept 
in good condition. Press them by putting several heavy 
books on top of the magazine. In about a week the 
pressed weeds should be dry enough to mount if you 
wish to make a collection. They may be kept, indefi- 
nitely, in the magazine. 

6. Occasionally test your ability to name the weeds. 
Cover the name, look at each weed, and see if you can 
name it and give its characteristics. If you have for- 
gotten these, refer to the list. 

7. You should have no trouble in finding from 25 to 
50 varieties of weeds in your community if several field 
trips are taken, and this number will, without doubt, con- 
tain all the common ones. 

8. If time permits, collect samples of common weed 
seeds. Put these in small vials or envelopes i^" x 2" 
and learn to recognize them. 



10 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Questions 

1. What weeds are most common in the community? 

2. What are the worst weeds in the community? 

3. Why are some weeds harder to hold in check than 
others? 

To the Teacher. — This exercise succeeds best when the 
work is done collectively by the class, the teacher holding 
before the class a specimen of each weed, and following the 
outline suggested. 



Exercise 5 



SELECTING SEED CORN 

Object. — To learn how to select, in the field, good ears 
of corn for seed. 

Explanation. — The moisture content of corn is often 

30% or more when 

the seed is ready to 

freezing 




If 



pick. 

weather catches the 
seed ears when they 
contain a relatively 
high percentage of 
water, the corn is 

RURAL STUDENTS SELECTING SEED CORN. 

Coxtrtesy Iowa State Teachers' College likely tO be of nO 

value for seed pur- 
poses. To get good seed the seed ears must be selected 
before frost and from the plants in the field, and the 
ears must then be properly stored. The following points 
should be observed in selecting seed corn from the field : 
I. The ears should be of good shape, but early ma- 
turity must not be sacrificed for fancy points. 



SEPTEMBER II 

2. Ears of medium size only should be chosen. 

3. Ears should be chosen which hang down, because 
they shed w^ater. 

4. The kernels should be well dented. 

5. There should be two good stalks in the hill from 
which a seed ear is taken, if the corn was planted in hills. 

6. Do not, in the field, be too particular about the 
fancy points. Study the corn more carefully after you 
have selected a considerable quantity. 

Materials. — A field of corn from which seed ears may. 
be selected, and a few good specimens of ears of corn 
fit for seed. 

Procedure. — i. Carefully read the explanation, and 
listen to your teacher's discussion. 

2. Get a good, clear idea of the kind of corn that 
should be selected. 

3. When in the corn field be careful not to destroy any 
of the corn. Select a row and proceed to gather a few 
good ears from it. 

4. Place the ears of corn you have selected in a row 
with those which the other members of the class have 
selected. 

5. How do the ears you have selected compare with 
the others? Would they make good seed corn? 

6. Give the corn you selected to the owner of the 
field. 

Questions 

1. Why is it preferable to buy seed corn on the ear 
rather than shelled seed corn? 

2. Why is field selection better than crib selection? 



12 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

To the Teacher. — Obtain from some farmer in the com- 
munity a few good ears of seed corn of a variety commonly 
grown. Briefly discuss with the class characteristics of 
good seed corn, before you take the class out. See Exercise 
5, December. Obtain permission from a neighboring farmer 
to select with the class some seed corn. Try to get him to 
assist and take part in the discussion after the class has 
selected some corn. 

Exercise 6 

CURING AND STORING SEED CORN 

Object. — To study different methods of curing and 
storing seed corn. 

Explanation. — The germinating power of seed corn 
and the stand of corn in the field depend largely upon the 
way the seed corn has been cured. This is illustrated 
by the data given below, taken from the Wisconsin Ag- 
ricultural Experiment Station, Circular 58. 

Storage, Germination and Stand Tests of Seed Corn Used by 350 
Wisconsin Farmers. 



Methods of Storage 


Germination 


Average 

stands 

1909-1910 


Number 

of 

Tests 


1909 


1910 


Average 




93 
93 
92 
92 


90 
89 
81 

77 


91.5 
91.0 
86.5 
84.5 


89 

81 
79 


16 


2 Furnace room 


8 


3. Room above kitchen 

4 Attics . 


112 








92. 5 


84.2 


88.3 


83 


211 






S Urder porches 


79 
65 

86 
38 
81 

45 


62 
43 

52 
37 
1.5 

23 


70. 5 
540 

69.0 
37. 5 
41.2 

340 


63 

60 

49 
41 

56 


27 


6. Granaries 

7. Barns, tool houses and other 


20 
52 




26 


9. In shock during winter 

10. Windmills and outside of 


4 
10 








65.6 


36.4 


Si.o 


57.5 


139 







SEPTEMBER 



13 



Seed corn at harvest time contains much water and 
the corn should, therefore, be hung up or stored in some 




PROJECT WORKERS CURING THEIR SEED CORN FOR NEXT YEAR's CROP. — Courtesy 

U. S. Department of Agriculture 



way in which it may cure quickly. While curing, it 
should be protected from freezing temperatures and the 



14 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

hot sun, but should be in a place where there is a good 
circulation of air. 

Materials. — Binder twine, wire corn hangers, and ears 
of corn. 

Procedure. — i. Enumerate some good places in which 
to cure seed corn. What are the characteristics of a 
good curing place? 

2. Practice stringing corn, and putting corn on hangers. 

3. Visit some places where corn is being properly 
cured and where it is well stored for the winter. 

Questions 

1. Why cure seed corn where there is a good circula- 
tion of air? 

2. Where have you seen farmers cure their seed corn? 
Were these good or poor places? Why? 

Exercise 7 

CUTTINGS FROM FLOWERING PLANTS 

Object. — To make and root cuttings from such plants 
as the geranium, the coleus, and the wandering Jew. 

Materials. — Plants from which cuttings are to be 
made ; a sharp knife ; flower pots ; clean, coarse sand ; 
and several glasses. 

Procedure. — I. From the ends of fairly well matured 
branches of geranium, coleus, or wandering Jew plants, 
cut off pieces 3 to 4 inches long. Make the cuts about 
y^ of an inch below the nodes, or joints. Cut off the 
lower leaves from the cuttings and if the upper leaves 
are large, cut off about >^ of each leaf. This will leave 
on the cuttings only a few small leaves. 



SEPTEMBER 



IS 



2. Place the cut- 
ting so deeply into 
clean, sharp sand 
that merely a little 
of the top and a few 
remaining leaves 
show. 

3. Keep the pots 
in a moderately 
warm room, and 
water the cuttings 
often to keep the 
sand moist. Shade 
the plants from the 
direct sunlight. 

4. Try rooting 
some of the cuttings 
in a glass of water, 
keep it fresh. 

5. After the roots are well started, pot the plants in 
good, rich garden soil containing a little coarse sand. 




A GERANIUM CUTTING READY FOR PLANTING. 

Courtesy H. Sahli, Whitewater, Wis. 



Change the water frequently to 



Questions 

1. Why root the cuttings in sand? 

2. Why protect the cuttings from direct sunlight? 



To the Teacher. — Unless plants from which cuttings can 
be made are easily available, it would not pay to take up 
this exercise. The rooted cuttings make desirable plants for 
the school room and for the home, and it is for this reason 
that this exercise is here given. 



i6 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 8 

DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS IN COMMON FEEDS 

Object. — To determine the total amount of digestible 
nutrients in lOO pounds of common feeds. 

Explanation. — The three important nutrients in feeds 
are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. In addition to these 
we find mineral matter and water. The weight of any 
feed, less the weight of water it contains, gives the 
weight of the dry matter. 

Fat produces 2l4 times as much heat and energy as 
an equal amount of protein or carbohydrates. In finding 
out the total amounts of digestible nutrients in feeds, it 
is necessary, therefore, to multiply the amount of fat 
by 2^4 to reduce it to carbohydrate and protein equiva- 
lents, so that the three may be added together. 

Procedure. — i. Find the total amount of digestible nu- 
trients in the following feeds. Multiply the fat by 2.25 
and add the result to the amount of digestible carbohy- 
drates and protein, as illustrated with corn. If the third 
decimal is less than 5, drop it ; if 5 or more thaii 5, add 
one to the second decimal. 

2. Below are given the calculations for finding the to- 
tal amount of digestible nutrients in 100 lbs. of shelled 
corn. 

LBS. OF DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS IN lOO LBS. OP CORN 



Protein 
7.8 



Carbohydrates 
66.8 



Fat 
4-3 



4.3 X 2.25 = 9.68 

7.8 +66.8 +9.68 = 84.28, total digestible nutrients. 



SEPTEMBER 



17 



3. Make similar calculations for all the feeds men- 
tioned in the following table and record the results in 
the last column. 

TOTAL AMOUNT OF DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS IN 100 POUNDS 



Feeding Stuff 



Shelled Corn.... 

Wheat 

Oats 

Wheat Bran 

Middlings 

Oil Meal 

Timothy Hay... 
Red Clover Hay 

Alfalfa Hay 

Wheat Straw... 

Com Silage 

Mangels 



Dry 

Matter 



Lbs. 



Protein Carbohydrates 



Lbs. 
7.8 
8.8 
8.8 

II. 9 

13. 

30.2 
2.8 
7.1 

10.5 

.8 

1.4 

.8 



Lbs. 
66.8 
67.5 
49.2 
42.0 
45.7 
32.0 
42.4 
37.8 
40. 5 
35-2 
14.2 

6.4 



Fat 



Lbs. 



Total 
Nutrients 



Lbs 
84. 



Questions 

1. Which feeding stuff contains the most digestible nu- 
trients? 

2. Which the least? 

3. Why does oats contain less than corn? 

4. Why does corn silage contain less than timothy hay? 

5. Which feed contains the most protein? 

6. Which hay contains the most? 

7. Why is wheat straw worth less per ton than. timothy 
hay? 



To the Teacher. — These problems may well be assigned 
for work in arithmetic, and the results be discussed when 
the class meets for agriculture. Using the results, other 
problems may be worked out, such as getting the cost of 10 
pounds of digestible nutrients in a few of the common feeds. 
Use Ibcal market prices. 



i8 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 9 

NUTRITIVE RATIO OF COMMON FEEDS 

Object. — To calculate the nutritive ratio of a number 
of common feeds. 

Procedure. — I. The following formula is used in find- 
ing the nutritive ratio of feeds. 

Lbs. Digestible Carbohydrates + (Lbs. Dig. Fat X 2.25) 
— — = X 

Lbs. Digestible Protein 

I : X = nutritive ratio. 

2. The nutritive ratio answers the question, How many 
parts, by weight, of digestible carbohydrates and fat, 
the latter reduced to carbohydrate equivalents, are there 
in a feed, to each part of digestible protein? 

3. The table in exercise 7 shows that 100 lbs. of shelled 
corn contains. 



t 




Digestible 






Protein 


Carbohydrates 


Fat 


Corn. 100 lbs. 


7 . 8 Lbs. 


66.8 Lbs. 


4.34 Lbs. 



Then 66/8 + (4.3 X 2.25) 76.4?; 



9.8 



The nutritive ratio of corn is therefore i : 9.8. 

4. Copy in the first four columns of the table given 
below, the nutrients in the feeds mentioned in the pre- 
vious exercise. 

5. Find the nutritive ratio of each of the feeds, in 



SEPTEMBER 



19 



the same way as has been indicated for corn, and record 
the results in the last column. Carry these calculations 
to only one decimal place. If the second decimal is 5 
or more, add one to the first decimal : if less than 5, drop 
it. 

TABLE SHOWING POUNDS OF DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS IN too 
POUNDS OF FEED AND THE NUTRITIVE RATIO OF THE FEED 



Feeding StufT 


Dry 
Matter 


Protein 


Carbohydrates 


Fat 


Nutritive 
Ratio 


Shelled Corn. . 


Lbs. 
89.4 


Lbs. 
7.8 


Lbs. 
66.8 


Lbs. 
4-3 


1:9.8 


Wheat 




Oats. .. 




Wheat Bran 




Oil Meal 




Timothy Hay 




Red Clover Hay 

Alfalfa Hay 




Wheat Straw 













Questions 

1. Which feed in the list given above has the greatest 
percentage of protein? 

2. How can you tell? 

3. Which has the least? 

4. Which hay has the greatest percentage of protein? 

5. What use is made of the nutritive ratios of feeds? 



To the Teacher. — This exercise furnishes good practical 
work in arithmetic. Assign the problems for arithmetic 
work and discuss the results in the agriculture class. All 
books on elementary agriculture give a good discussion of 
nutritive ratios. Read Chapter 21, in "An Introduction to 
Agriculture." 



20 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 10 

THE CORN BELT STATES 

Object. — To make an outline map of the United 
States, shading the seven states comprising the corn- 
belt states, and to show the number of acres devoted in 
these states to corn, and their yields. 



dOODE'S SERIES OF BASE MAPS. No. 10 




• Materials. — Last edition of the U. S. Agricultural 
Year Book, or the last issue of Statistics of Grain Crops, 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
The latter is sent free on request. 

Procedure. — i. Make an outline map of the United 
States and shade the corn-belt states. Write the name in 
each state. 



SEPTEMBER 



21 



2. Fill out the following table, getting the data from 
the suggested references. 



State 


Acres 
Devoted 
to Corn 


Total 
Yield in 
Bushels 


Yield 

in Bushels 

per Acre 


Illinois 

Iowa 

Indiana 

Kansas 

Nebraska 


• 


r" 




Missouri 




Ohio 





Questions 

1. What percentage of the corn grown in the United 
States is grown by these seven states? 

2. Why do these states raise more corn than other states ? 

Exercise 11 

CULLING THE FLOCK 

% 

Object. — To learn how to cull, or sort out, from a 
flock of hens those which are poor layers. 

Materials. — At least 6 hens, better lo or 20. 

Explanation. — Every flock of hens should be culled at 
least once a year in order that the poor layers may be 
weeded out. If a flock is culled only once a year, Sep- 
tember is the best month in which to do the culling. The 
good laying hen has a short strong beak, " her eye is 
large, bright and prominent. Her whole head is short 
and strong, but distinctly feminine in appearance. Her 
body is long and deep for the breed, with parallel top 
and bottom lines. This gives her room for a large soft 
abdomen with plenty of food capacity. She is a busy^ 



22 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

hungry, happy, noisy bird. She is easily tamed and likes 
to be petted. Hens that have the characteristics of being 
good layers and are in good laying condition in Sep- 
tember, are the hens which will prove the good layers 
throughout the year. These should be kept, and all 
others sold or eaten. 

The points which should be given special attention in 
separating the laying hens from the nonlayers are : 




A GOOD TYPE OF LAYING HEN 



A TYPICAL NON-rRODUCER 



1. Age of hens. — Hens belonging to the dual purpose 
and meat breeds are rarely profitable as layers beyond 
their second laying year, and hens of the ^gg type breeds, 
beyond their third laying year. 

2. Condition of birds. — Sickly looking, inactive hens, 
with long slim heads and beaks, hens with dark or bluish 
combs, hens with broken down abdomens, or hens with 
small appetites, are poor layers. Get rid of them. 

3. Color. — In all yellow skinned breeds, those hens 



SEPTEMBER 



23 



with strong yellow shanks, yellow beaks and yellow 
vents are not in laying condition. In all heavily laying- 
hens the yellow color has faded out. 

4. Molting. — The better laying hens lay late in the 
fall, so molt late. Cull out those which begin to molt 
during July or early August. 

5. The comb. — Hens not laying often have small, 
shrunken, hard combs, sometimes covered with white 
scales. 

6. The appearance of the vent. — The vent of a hen 
not in laying condition is small, contracted, dry, and yel- 
low in color. 

7. Condition of the abdomen. — A solid, fat, contracted 
abdomen is characteristic of non-layers. Also the small 
stringy abdomen denotes the poor layer. The good layer 
has a large, soft abdomen. 

8. The pelvic bones. — Thick, firm pelvic bones, firmly 
joined together at the ends, separated by a distance of 
less than the width of two fingers, and curved in badly 
shows that the hen is not in a laying condition and is a 
poor layer. 

9. Distance between pelvic bones and the end of the 
keel. — When this distance is less than the width of three 
fingers in the smaller breeds and less than four in the 
larger breeds, the hens are not heavy producers. 

Hens having several of the characteristics just given 
may safely be classified as poor egg producers, and 
should be sold or eaten. 

Procedure. — i. Go with your teacher to study a flock 
of hens. Watch closely while each point mentioned 
above is demonstrated to you. 



24 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

2. Take notes on each bird. Then, when the demon- 
stration is completed, tell from your notes which birds 
should be culled and which should be kept for the lay- 
ing flock. 

3. Practice culling with your home flock. 

To the Teacher. — Make arrangements for this exercise 
with the father of one of your pupils who will keep at least 
six suitable hens penned for this demonstration. Either con- 
duct the demonstration yourself, or get the farmer to conduct 
it. 

Reference. — Culling the Flock, Bureau of Animal In- 
dustry Cir. Division of Pubhcations, Washington, D. C. 

Wisconsin Bull. 261, College of Agr., Madison, Wis. 

An Introduction to Agriculture, Chapter 22. 

Exercise 12 

CORN SURVEY 

Object. — To make a corn survey of the school district. 
Procedure. — i. The following is a suggested outline 
for a corn survey or corn census of the school district. 



School District No. 



CORN SURVEY 
. Town of Co. 



Date. 





Name of 
Farmer 


Total 
Acres 

in 
Farm 


Total 
Acres 

in 
Corn 


Acres 

of 
Corn 

for 
Grain 


Total 
Yield 


Yield 
per 
Acre 


Acres 

of 
Corn 

for 
Silage 


Yield 

in 

Tons 

Acre 


I 

2 
3 

Etl 



















SEPTEMBER 25 

2. One member of the class should copy on the board 
the outline for the survey, putting down as many num- 
bers as there are farmers who raise field corn in the 
school district. One representative of each farm family 
in the school should copy the outline and take it home 
to be filled out as accurately as possible. Members of 
the agriculture class who have this book need not copy 
the outline, but should enter the data in the book. 

3. When a farm family in the district is not repre- 
sented by children in the school, some member of the 
school should try to get the data from that farm. An 
effort should be made to get the data from every farm 
wdiere field corn is raised in the district to make the 
survey complete. 

4. Each pupil should write on the board the name 
of the farmer assigned to him and the data he obtained. 
The upper classes should then determine the totals. The 
average yield of the district is obtained by dividing the 
number representing the total yield in bushels or tons, 
by the total number of acres devoted to the crop. 

5. Each member of the agricultural class should have 
a copy of the complete survey, to put into a survey 
booklet of the school district suggested for June. 

Project 1 

GATHERING AND STORING SEED CORN 

Object. — A good seed corn project is one in which 
the good corn, fit for seed, and raised by the pupil in 
a corn growing project, is carefully gathered, selected, 
cured, and stored for future use or sale. 



26 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Preparation. — i. Read Exercise 5 on Selecting Seed 
Corn. Learn the characteristics of the corn you have 
planted so that you will be able to select seed true to 
the breed or variety. 

2. Roughly determine how many ears or bushels of 
seed corn you can cure and store properly. 

3. Study methods of curing and storing seed corn. 

4. Determine how 
you are going to 
store the corn and 
what materials you 
will need for the pur- 
pose. 

5. Make all neces- 
sary preparations to 
conduct the project 



K^UK 


i^^m^ 


;; '.c^ii^ m 


fm 

>■ / " '"T 


Pil;^ 


%,^;| 


■ 'NMm- 



THESE YOUNG PROJECT WORKERS WILL GET 

GOOD RESULTS. — CouTtesy Iowa State 
Teachers' College 



properly. 

Procedure . — 

I. Keep accurate rec- 
ords of all the time you devote to this project. Pro- 
vide yourself with a vest pocket note book. 

2. Gather the corn ; cure, and store it properly. 

3. Keep accurate records of all expenses incurred in 
the project. 

4. In the spring, test each ear of corn (see outline for 
March), and sort it into two grades. 

5. When you have disposed of the corn, fill out a 
summary sheet as suggested below, and determine the 
profit you have made in the project. 



SEPTEMBER 27 

Seed Corn Project — Summary Sheet 

Number of bushels of corn gathered in the fall 

Number of bushels of corn cured and stored 

Number of hours of labor in gathering the corn 

Number of hours of labor in curing and storing corn. . 

Number of hours of labor in testing and grading 

Other time — hours 



EXPENSES 

Value of 

bushels of corn cured and stored @ $ per bu. $ . 

hours of labor in gathering the corn @ ^ perhr. 

" " " " curing and storing @ " " " 

" " " " testing and grading @ " " " 

" " other labor @ " " " . 

Other expenses incurred in the project (it^ize these) 

Total expenses $. 

RECEIPTS 

bushels of seed corn sold @ $ per Bu. $ . 

(Itemize your sales) 

pecks of corn kept for own use @ " " 

bushels of corn not sold for seed @ " " 

(Usually all corn cannot be sold for 
seed) 



Total Receipts $ 

Less Total Expenses 

Profit $ 

6. Write a brief discussion of the project. 

References. — F. B. 229: Production of Good Seed Corn. F. B. 415: 
Seed Corn. 

To the Teacher. — It may be desirable, in some cases, to 
bring the project to a close after the seed corn is cured. 
In that case, the items on testing, and perhaps some of 
those on grading, will have to be omitted from the sum- 
mary. For a discussion of project work see Chapter 28 in 
"An Introduction to Agriculture," published by D. Apple- 
ton & Co., and also Bui. 385, School Credit for Home Prac- 
tice in Agriculture, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture; F. B. 537, 
How to Grow an Acre of Corn; F. B. 729, Corn Growing in 
the South. 



28 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

One project, well done and carefully written up, is of 
far more benefit to a child than a half dozen projects im- 
perfectly accomplished. No child should be engaged in more 
than one project at one time, as long as the project upon 
which he is working is at a stage to require his regular at- 
tention. The number of projects given for each month is to 
allow a child a choice, and also to permit some variety of 
interest in such work throughout the school. 

Project 2 

HARVESTING AND STORING WINTER APPLES 

Object. — To harvest and store winter apples or other 
fruit, which may otherwise be wasted, to be later used 
or sold. 

Explanation. — On many farms there are usually many 
good apples going to waste which later in the season may 
be sold to good advantage, if the sound apples have 
been carefully gathered and stored. 

Preparation. — i. Determine if there is likely to be a 
market for apples later in the season. 

2. Find out if it will pay you to gather and store 
surplus apples. 

3. Study how to harvest and store fruit properly. 
Operation. — i. Carefully gather and store the fruit 

for which you intend to be entirely responsible. 
Measure it as you store it, and record the amounts in 
a tabular form as suggested: 



Fruit Stored 


Quantity 


Approximate Value 





















SEPTEMBER 



29 



2. Keep an account of your time and of other ex- 
penses in connection with the project. 

3. Record at each instance of use or sale, the amount 
and value of the fruit used or sold. Do this in a 
tabular form as suggested : 



Fruit Sold 


Quantity- 


Price 


Cash 


Home Use 



























4. When the project is completed, fill out a summary 
sheet as suggested, and write a brief story or discus- 
sion of the project and put in it all records. 



Total value of fruit sold 

Total value of fruit used at home. 



Total receipts. 

Expenses 

Labor 



Total expenses. 
Profit 



Reference. — F. B. 879: Home Storage of Vegetables. Any book on 
Vegetable Gardening. Department Bulletin 579: Celery Storage of Vege- 
tables, 5 cents. 



To the Teacher. — Write to the States Relation Service, 
U. S. Dept. of Agriculture for S. R. S. Leaflet: "How 
Teachers in Rural Schools May Use Publications on Home 
Storage of Fruits and Vegetables." It will help you to di- 
rect this and the next project. 



30 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Project 3 

STORING WINTER VEGETABLES 

Object. — To store properly, for winter use, some of 
the common garden vegetables. 

Preparation. — Study methods of storing properly such 
vegetables as beets, carrots, cabbage, celery, etc. 

Procedure. — i. Put into proper order the place in 
which you plan to store the different vegetables. 

2. When soil and weather conditions are favorable, 
dig and store the vegetables. Measure the quantity of 
each vegetable as it is being stored. 

3. Keep account of all the time you devote to the 
project. 

4. From time to time examine some of the vegetables 
to see how they are keeping. 

5. Make out a summary sheet showing the quantity 
of each kind of vegetable stored, the value of each kind, 
the total value of all the vegetables, and the time de- 
voted to the project. 

6. Write a brief story about the project and in it 
put all records in a tabular form as outlined in previous 
project. 

Reference.— F. B. 879: Home Storage of Vegetables. F. B. 847: 
Potato Storage. Any Vegetable Gardening Book. 

EXHIBITS 

I. Corn Show. 

Have each member of the class bring to school the 
best ten ear sample of corn from the home farm. Ar- 
range this corn in an orderly and attractive way. Invite 



SEPTEMBER 31 

some one to judge the samples and to give a talk on 
corn. 

2. Vegetable and Fruit Exhibit. 

Have all pupils who wish bring to school small sam- 
ples of all the diflferent vegetables raised on the home 
farms. Number and display the samples, and some 
evening invite the patrons to see them, and have some 
one judge the vegetables. 

Reference. — S. R. S. Doc. 42: Agricultural Exhibits and Contests. 
U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Free. F. B. 617: School Lessons on Corn. 
F. B. 870: The Community Fair. S. R. S. Doc. 55: Ext. N. Boys' and 
Girls' Exhibits. S. R. S. Doc. A. I. 2: Agricultural Exhibits and 
Contests. 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN SEPTEMBER 

Some good fields of corn Blight, rust, smut, mildews 

The storing of vegetables The selecting of seed pota- 
The filling of a silo toes 

Injurious insects Good fall gardens 

Winter cover crops A corn binder at work 
Drying fruits and vegetables 

To the Teacher. — Read Table i in the appendix of "An 
Introduction to Agriculture," published by D. Appleton & 
Co. It tells how to secure government publications. 

Send to your State Agricultural Experiment Station 
for a list of available bulletins and order in advance the 
bulletins and circulars that pertain to any of the exer- 
cises or projects in the book. See page 216 for the ad- 
dress of your Experiment Station. 



OCTOBER 



Exercise 1 



A STUDY OF SOILS 



Object. — To make a simple study of the common soils 
of the community and to collect samples of them. 

Explanation. — The four common classes of soils are 
the sandy, loam, clay, and marsh soils. These have 

characteristic proper- 
ties. The U. S. Dept. 
of Agriculture, in 
connection with the 
State Agricultural 
Colleges, is making 
county soil surveys. 
These surveys de- 
scribe the different 
soils of a county and 
on a map show the 
location of the soils. If your county has been sur- 
veyed, the survey map will make this study of soils very 
interesting. 

Materials. — A spade, a half dozen quart Mason jars, 
a Soil Survey map, if available. 

Procedure. — i. Go with your teacher to visit places 

near the school where the different soils can be found. 

2. Describe each dift'erent kind of soil you examine, 

32 




A RURAL TEACHER ACQUAINTING HER PUPIL? 
WITH THE DIFFERENT SOILS IN THE COM- 
MUNITY. — Courtesy Iowa State Teach- 
ers' College 



OCTOBER 33 

stating its principal characteristics. Classify each soil. 

3. The class should collect a quart jar full of each of 
the dififerent soils examined. These samples should be 
preserved at school for future use, 

4. Try to visit a place where a cut or excavation has 
been made. Note the color of the top soil ; of the sub- 
soil. How deep is the top soil? 

To the Teacher. — If you undertake this exercise locate 
the different soils beforehand and take the class to examine 
them. Write to your State Agricultural College and inquire 
for a soil survey of your county, if it has been surveyed. 
Table 4, Appendix gives address. Additional information 
on the use of soil surveys write to the U. S. Dept. of Agri- 
culture for S. R. S. leaflet, "How Rural Teachers May Use 
a Soil Survey." This publication is free. 

Exercise 2 

SCALE INSECTS 

Object. — To study and to be able to recognize some 
of the common scale insects on trees. 

Materials. — Several hand lenses or magnifiers ; prun- 
ing shears or a sharp knife; one or two Mason jars. 

Explanation. — The oyster-shell scale, and the San Jose 
scale are two common scale insects frequently found 
on many kinds of fruit and shade trees. A careful 
study of the dying branches of different trees usually 
reveals the presence of some of these pests. These 
scales are pictured and described in all agricultural 
text books. 

Procedure. — i. Examine the dying branches on some 
fruit and shade trees. Can you see any scale insects? 



34 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Use the hand lens. Examine some of the Hving 
branches. Are there any scale insects on them? 

2. Collect and describe samples of the oyster-shell 
scale. Cut off small pieces of the branch with the 
pruning shears and put them in the Mason jar. Make 
a drawing of a branch showing the scale as seen through 
the magnifier. 

3. Repeat the directions given in 2 for the San Jose 
scale. 

4. Tell how to get rid of each of these pests. 

5. Examine the skins of grape fruit and of oranges 
for the presence of scale insects. 

Questions 

1. How do scale insects do harm? 

2. Should they be controlled? Why? 

3. \Miat are good sprays for these pests? 

To the Teacher. — Locate these pests on trees before tak- 
ing the class to inspect them. Give the class an idea what 
to look for. Some one in the community may be able to 
help you locate infected trees. If you do not take the class 
out, gather a few branches infected by each scale, to be 
studied in class. These insects are fully described and well 
pictured in "An Introduction to Agriculture," published by 
D. Appleton & Co., and in other agricultural text books. 

Exercise 3 

PRUNING TREES 

Object. — To study the proper way to prune a tree. 
Materials. — Pruning shears ; small cross cut saws ; 
ladders. 



OCTOBER 



3.S 



Explanation. — The class should be taken to a fruit or 
shade tree which is in need of pruning. Here a demon- 
stration on pruning should be 
given, preferably by the own- 
er of the tree or by the County 
Agricultural Agent who will 
gladly do this if requested. 
Some of the boys may do the 
work but they should be di- 
rected. 

Procedure. — i. Observe 
how some broken, injured, or 
diseased branches are re- 
moved. Note that the cuts 
are made as near the main 
branch of the tree as pos- 
sible, and parallel to it. Why? 

2. Assist in removing any limbs which injure, by 




METHOD OF CUTTING A LARGE 
LIMB WHICH SHOULD BE AVOID- 
ED. — Courtesy U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture 




RESULTS OF CORRECT AND INCORRECT PRUNING. A, COrreCt 

method; after two years; B, incorrect method. — Courtesy 
U. S. Department of Agriculture 



Z6 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

rubbing other portions of the tree. Why should these 
be removed? 

3. Remove some water sprouts. Why should these 
be removed? 

4. Undesirable branches in the center of the tree, 
which make the foliage too dense, should be removed. 
Why? 

5. If you are going to remove a large branch, where 
should the cuts be made. Why? 

6. Make drawings of all the different kinds of limbs 
removed, showing where cuts have been made. 

Questions 

1. Why not chop branches off? 

2. Why are the central parts of the trunks of so many 
trees decayed? 

3. Should horses be tied to trees? 

4. When should needed pruning be done? Why? 

5. During what season of the year should no pruning be 
done? 

To the Teacher. — It may be possible that the trees on the 
school grounds would be benefited by a little pruning. Ask 
some farmer to bring a few ladders. The boys will bring 
the saws and shears if asked. Write to the County Agricul- 
tural Agent located at the county seat and ask him if he does 
not want to assist. Ask farmers to attend the demonstra- 
tion. 

Exercise 4 

POULTRY HOUSES 

Object. — To make a study of a few poultry houses. 
Materials. — Yard sticks, paper, and pencils. 



OCTOBER 



37 



Procedure. — i. With your teacher make a study of 
one or two good poultry houses in the community. 

2. Measure the dimensions of the floor area of each 
house inspected, the height of the house in front, and 
in the rear. 




FRONT VIEW OF AN IDEAL POULTRY HOUSE. — Couttesy Missouri Poultry 
Experiment Station 



3. Inquire how many birds are kept in each house and 
determine the floor space per bird. How many square 
feet of floor space should there be for each bird? 

4. Study the interior of each house. Measure the 
height above the floor of the dropping platform, and the 



38 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

feeding platform. How many inches of roosting space 
are there in each house for each bird? 

5. Measure the size of the nests. How many nests 
are there in each house? How many nests per bird? 
How many should there be? 

6. Note the floor in each house and the litter on it. 
Have the hens a good place in which to scratch? 

7. How is good ventilation secured in the houses? 
Make three drawings, showing the front view, the sec- 
tional view, and the floor plan of one of the good poul- 
try houses studied. These plans should be drawn to a 
scale and should be made accurately. A good scale is 
one which allows, on the plan, ^ inch to each foot. 
The drawings should not be made at the time of the 
trip while notes are being taken, but should be care- 
fully drawn at school or at home. 

Questions 

1. Why should there be a dropping board under the 
roosts in a poultry house? 

2. Why should the feeding platforms be raised? 

3. Why is good ventilation essential in a poultry house? 

References.— Consult any poultry book. "An Introduction to Agricul- 
ture," Chapter 22. F. B. 574: Poultry House Construction. Dept. 
Bui. 464: Lessons on Poultry for Rural Schools. 10 cents. 

To the Teacher. — Find out where there are a few good 
poultry houses near the school. Ask the owners to allow 
you to take the class to make a study of these. 

Exercise 5 

THE NUTRITIVE RATIO OF A RATION 

Object. — To learn to calculate the nutritive ratio of 
a ration. 



OCTOBER 



39 



Materials. — A table showing the amount of digestible 
nutrients in feeding stuffs. (See Table i in Appendix.) 

Procedure. — i. A ration is all the food an animal eats 
in one day, or twenty-four hours, whether it is fed once 
a day, twice a day, three times, or oftener. If an 
animal is fed and eats 5 lbs, of timothy hay, 2 lbs. of 
corn, and i lb. of oats three times a day, its ration will 
consist of 15 lbs. of timothy hay, 6 lbs. of corn, and 
3 lbs. of oats. 

2. The formula for finding the nutritive ratio of a 
ration may be stated as follows : 

Total amt. dig. carbohydrates+ (total amt. dig, fat X 2.25 = x.) 
Total amount of digestible protein 

Therefore the nutritive ratio will be i : x. 

3. The nutritive ratio of the ration, mentioned above 
is here calculated to show how to use the formula. 



Ration 


Digestible 


Feed 


Pounds 


Protein 
Lbs. 


Carbo- 
hydrates 
• Lbs, 


Fat 
Lbs. 


Timothy hay 


15 
6 

3 


.42 

•47 
.26 

115 


6.36 
4.01 
1.48 

11.85 


.20 


Corn 


.26 


Oats 


. 13 


Totals 


.59 



11.85 + (.59 X 2.25) 13.18 



1. 15 



115 



= II-5 



Therefore the nutritive ratio of the ration is i : 11.5. 
In all these calculations it will greatly simplify and 



40 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

unify the work if they are carried to one decimal point. 
If the second decimal is five or more, add one to the first 
decimal ; if less than five, drop it. 

4. Calculate the nutritive ratio of the following ration, 
and put the work in tabular form as in 3. 

Alfalfa hay, 15 lbs. ; Corn, 6 lbs. ; Oats, 3 lbs. 

5. Calculate the nutritive ratio of the following 
ration : 

Clover hay, 15 lbs.; Corn, 6 lbs. ; Wheat bran, 3 lbs. 

6. Find out some rations which are being fed to some 
animals, and calculate the nutritive ratio of one or more 
of these rations. Put the work in tabular form as in 3. 

Questions 

1. Why do these nutritive ratios vary? 

2. Of what importance are nutritive ratios? 

3. What is gained by using a leguminous hay in place of 
timothy hay? 

To the Teacher. — These problems may be assigned for 
work in arithmetic, and the results be discussed when the 
class meets for agriculture. Many arithmetic books give 
problems on ratios. In this exercise are given some prac- 
tical problems. 

Exercise 6 

THE COST OF A RATION 

Object. — To find the cost of a ration being fed to 
some farm animals. 



OCTOBER 41 

Procedure. — i. If a horse is being fed 10 lbs. of tim- 
othy hay and 10 lbs. of oats in one day, what will be the 
cost of the ration if the hay is worth $20.00 per ton, 
and the oats $.64 per bushel? One bushel of oats 
weighs 32 lbs. 

Cost of hay = oi^o of $20.00 = $.10 
Cost of oats = 1^ of .64 .20 

Cost of ration $ . 30 

2. In calculations such as the one given above, what 
prices to attach to the different feeds is a debatable 
question. All newspapers quote the wholesale prices 
of the feeds and it will simplify the work to use the 
prices quoted in the daily papers in figuring the cost of a 
ration. Where prices are not quoted in the papers, use 
those for which some neighboring farmer is willing to 
sell the feed. 

3. Find out a ration being fed to dairy cows ; to a 
horse; etc.; and figure the cost of these rations. 

4. From the results in paragraph 3, find the cost of 
the feed of each animal for a month, and for a year, 
assuming that the rations and the cost of the feeds re- 
main the same. 

5. Ask some one what it costs to feed a horse or a 
cow for a year, and compare your results in 4 with 
these figures. 



To the Teacher. — Assign the problems for work in arith- 
metic. These are good practical problems. Make up other 
similar problems. 



42 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 7 

WINTER RATIONS FOR POULTRY 

Object.— To make a study of rations for winter egg 
production. 

Explanation. — The production of eggs in winter from 
pullets, and to some extent from hens, may be greatly 
stimulated by good methods of feeding. In most com- 
munities there are some farmers who get many eggs 
from their flocks during the winter. By studying their 
methods of feeding much may be learned. Also by 
studying the records of tgg laying contests one may 
get good ideas as to what feeds produce the best results. 
In a recent egg laying contest the average pen of lo 
pullets produced, — 

53 eggs in November 94 eggs in January 
75 6?^s in December 122 eggs in February 

(Fifth International Egg Laying Contest, Storrs, Conn.) 
Procedure. — i. Find out what some farmer, who gets 
many eggs from his flock in the winter, is feeding and 
observe his methods of poultry management. 

2. In a tabular form, write down the ration being fed. 
If time permits calculate the nutritive ratio as sug- 
gested in exercise 5. 

3. In like manner tabulate the ration being fed to the 
poultry at your home. How do the two compare? 

4. In a recent experiment at the Indiana Experiment 
Station three pens of Leghorn pullets were fed the 
following rations, and the average hen in each pen laid 
the number of eggs indicated below: 



OCTOBER 



43 



PEN 



PEN 2 



Scratch Feed 


Dry Mash 


Scratch Feed 


Dry Mash 


10 lbs. com 
10 lbs. oats 
5 lbs. wheat 


5 lbs. bran 

5 lbs. shorts 

3 Vi lbs. beef scraps 


lo lbs. corn 
lo lbs. oats 
5 lbs. wheat 


5 lbs. bran 
5 lbs. shorts 
SO lbs. skim milk 


Eggs per pul 


et in one year, i3S 


Eggs per pullet 


n one year. 133.5 



PEN 3. 


Scratch Feed 


Dry Mash 


10 lbs. com 
10 lbs. oats 
5 lbs. wheat 


5 lbs. bran 

5 lbs. shorts 

no beef scraps nor milk 


Eggs per pullet in one 


year, 36 



Questions 

1. Why was the number of eggs produced by the aver- 
age pullet in pen 3 so much lower than that of the other t\/o ? 

2. Why should some form of animal feed, like skim milk 
or beef scraps, be used, especially in the winter? 

3. Why are dry mashes fed to poultry? 

References. — A poultry book. An Introduction to Agriculture, Chapter 
22. F. B. 889: Back- Yard Poultry Keeping. F. B. 287: Poultry Man- 
agement. 



Exercise 8 

POULTRY RECORDS AND ACCOUNTS 

Object. — To learn to keep accurate, systematic, and 
business-like accounts of a small poultry flock. 

Explanation. — i. To learn to be able to keep accurate 
and systematic records of any enterprise is an excellent 
training for all boys and girls. Accuracy, neatness, and 



44 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

regularity of entries spell success in this work. Never 
put off recording any data until to-morrow. 

2. The essential parts of a complete poultry record 
are the opening inventory, the ^gg record, the income, 
the expenses, the closing inventory, and the summary 
sheet. 

The opening and closing inventories include the value 
of the house, fencing, equipment, and poultry. 

The Qgg r%ecord shows the number of eggs laid each 
day in every month. 

The income includes the value of the eggs used at 
home, the cash sales of eggs, the sales of poultry, the 
value of poultry used at home, and the value of the 
eggs used or sold for hatching. 

The expenses include the value of the home feed used, 
of the feed purchased, of the equipment purchased, of 
the labor expended, and of the interest on the invest- 
ment. 

Procedure. — The following is a year's record of 12 
White Leghorn pullets from Nov. i, 19 16 to Nov. i, 
191 7. From the information given, fill out and com- 
plete the monthly summaries, and the final yearly sum- 
mary given at the end of this exercise. 

Opening Inventory — Nov. i, 1916: 

Value of poultry house and fences $12 . 00 

Value of feed hoppers and feed troughs 2 . 00 

Value of 1 2 pullets 1 2 . 00 

Total 

Enter these on the final summary sheet. 

3. The Egg Record. — Daily egg records should always 
be kept and from these the monthly egg yield may be 



OCTOBER 45 

determined. Below is given the monthly egg yields of 

the 12 pullets for the year. Enter these statistics on 

the sheet of monthly summaries. 

Nov. 24 Feb. 229 May 274 Aug. 191 
Dec. 143 Mar. 267 June 237 Sept. 180 
Jan. 262 Apr. 299 July 246 Oct. 103 

4. The Income. — There should be an income sheet 
for each month, showing the itemized sales, and the 
number of eggs and fowls used in the home with a value 
attached to each item. In the flock of 12 pullets whose 
record is used in this exercise, the income consisted of 
eggs sold and eggs used in the home. Copy these 
records and the totals on the sheet for monthly sum- 
maries. (Article 7.) 

Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apri 

Cash sales of eggs $2.23 $6.28 $4.56 S3 20 $417 

Value of eggs used I.70 2.19 2.77 2.74 2.67 3 28 

Ir- 

Total income 

,^^H May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. 

(Jash sales of eggs $522 I4.4S $428 $3. 99 I2.96 I2.47 

Value of eggs used i . 40 1.67 i • 95 i • 30 2.59 .79 

Total income 

5. The Expenses. — Below are itemized the expenses 
for November, 1916. 

Date Item From Whom Amount 

Nov. I 14 bu. wheat Dadmun Bros. $ . 6s 

Nov.1i li bu. oats " " .25 

Nov. I 14 bu. corn " " .20 

Nov. 2 15 lbs. egg mash Warner's .45 

Total |i. SS 

The expenses for the remaining eleven months, all for 
feed, were : — 

Dec. S2.05 Mar. $1.78 June I2.77 Sept. $i.95 
Jan. 2. IS Apr. 2.53 July 1.90 Oct. i.7S 
Feb. 2.03 May 1.75 Aug. 1.65 

Enter these on the sheet for monthly summaries. There 
were no other cash expenses. 



46 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



6. Closing Inventory. — Nov. i, 1917. 

Value of house and fences $12 .00 

" " feed hoppers and feed troughs 2 . 00 

" " 12 hens @ $1.50 18.00 



Total . 



Enter the total on the final summary sheet. 
7. The Monthly Statement Sheet. — Fill this out from 
the data already given. 







MONTHLY 


SUMMARIES 










Eggs 


Cash 


Value 


Total 


Cost 


Profit 


Month 


Eggs 


per 


Sale of 


of Eggs 


Value 


of 


over 




Laid 


Bird 


Eggs 


Used 


of Eggs 


Feed 


Fesd 
Cost 


Nov. 
















Dec. 
















Jan. 
















Feb. 
















Mar. 
















Apr. 
















May 
















une 
















;uly 
















Aug. 
















Sept. 
















Oct. 
















Total 
















Av. per 
















bird 

















8. Final or Yearlv Summary. 



Opening Inventory xx 

Total Receipts 

(all sales and products used at home) 
Total Expenses xx 

(not including labor) 
Closing Inventory 

(value of everything at close of year) 
Interest on Investment xx 

Totals XX 

Profit or Labor Income xx 



Cr. 

XX 



9. Labor records, if kept, should be recorded similarly 
to the daily egg records. The value of all the labor 



OCTOBER 47 

subtracted from the profit over feed, will give the net 
profit. 

lo. \Miat was the average number of eggs laid per 
bird during the year? What was the cost of feed per 
bird for one year? What was the total profit over the 
cost of feed for the entire flock? (Determine this last 
item from the final summary sheet.) 

To the Teacher. — This is an excellent problem in arith- 
metic and elementary bookkeeping. Assign it for arithmetic 
work. This is an actual record taken from the book of a 
young project worker. 

Exercise 9 

POULTRY BOOKLET 

Object. — To make an illustrated booklet showing the 
common breeds of farm poultry and to describe each 
breed. 

Procedure. — i. Take a number of uniform sheets of 
writing or laboratory note book paper, and plan to make 
use of them as if they were blank pages in a book. 

2. Devote the first sheet to the table of contents, re- 
cording the exercises contained in the booklet in a 
columnar form as suggested : — 

Table of Contents 

1. Common Classes of Poultry. 

2. Asiatic Class. 

3. Mediterranean Class 

4. American Class 

5. Our Flock. 

2. Write only on one side of the paper. On sheet 2 
briefly discuss the classification of poultry, naming three 



48 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

or four of the common classes, and illustrate each class 
with a small picture cut from an old poultry journal. 
When putting paste on the cut, add a very small amount 




SAMPLES OF GOOD POULTRY BooKi-ETs.— Co/f/ ^-.s-v Rural stttdoits, State 
Normal, ll'liitcwatcr. Wis. 



only to the four corners ; this will prevent the wrinkling 
of the paper. Try to use one sheet only for each topic 
mentioned in the table of contents, and put the name 
of the topic on the first line of each sheet. 

3. Devote sheet 3 to the characteristics of the Asiatic 



OCTOBER 49 

class and in a tabular form show the names of the 
breeds of this class and the varieties of each breed. In- 
sert one picture for each breed if possible. 

4. Devote sheet 4 to the Mediterranean class in the 
same way as was suggested in 3 for the Asiatic class. 

5. Devote sheet 5 to the American class. 

6. Devote sheet 6 to the variety of poultry which 
you have at home. Classify the birds of your own flock 
and tell why your parents prefer that particular breed 
and variety. 

7. Cut two sheets of colored construction proper so 
that they will be about one-eighth of an inch larger on 
all four sides than the writing paper. Use these as 
covers for the booklet. Bind the book with colored 
cords. Give the booklet a name such as 

Breeds of Poultry, 
Poultry Booklet, 
Classification of Poultry, etc. 

Print the name neatly, or cut letters from construction 
paper and paste these on the cover. Finally, paste an 
attractive poultry picture on the outside. 

8. Let the booklet be an example of your best work 
in writing, language, drawing, and design. You are 
judged, by people who do nojt know you, by the kind 
of work you do. 

Exercise 10 

POTATO SURVEY 

Object. — To make a potato survey of the school dis- 
trict. 



50 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Procedure. — i. The following is a suggested outline 
for a potato survey of the school district. 



School District Xo. 


POTATO SURVEY 

Town of 

Date 


. . County 




Name of Farmer 


Total 
Acres 

in 
Pota- 
toes 


Acres 

in 
Early 
Pota- 
toes 


Variety 


Acres 

in 
Late 
Pota- 
toes 


Variety 


Total 
Esti- 
mate 


Yield 
Acre 


I 

3 
3 

Itc. 

















2. One member of the class should copy on the 
blackboard the outline for the survey. One representa- 
tive of each farm family should copy the outline on a 
sheet of paper and take it home to be filled out with 
answers as nearly correct as possible. 

3. When a farm family in the district is not repre- 
sented by children in the school some member of the 
school should try to secure the data. An effort should 
be made to get the data from all the farms in the school 
district. 

4. The data gathered should be written on the board. 
Get the totals. In getting the average yield for the 
district, divide the number representing the total yield 
in bushels by the number representing the total number 
of acres planted to potatoes. 

5. Each member of the class should copy all the data 
to be saved for a survey booklet to be completed at the 
end of the school year. 



OCTOBER 51 

Project 1 

KEEPING POULTRY RECORDS 

Object. — To keep accurate records of the home poul- 
try flock for a period of six months or a year. 

Explanation. — This is an excellent project for a boy 
or girl in either seventh or eighth grade. The project 
need not involve any care of the flock ; such a project is 
outlined in November. Merely keeping the records of 
the flock is an excellent project in itself, involving arith-i 
metic and all the fundamentals of bookkeeping. There 
is some recording to do every day, and this keeps up the 
interest. The work also offers excellent opportunities 
for comparing the home flock with other flocks, thus 
allowing the owner to get an idea of how well his flock 
is doing. 

Procedure. — i. Carefully read over exercise 8 out- 
lined in this chapter. If you have worked this exercise, 
completing the monthly and yearly summary sheets, you 
should have a good, definite idea of how to complete 
poultry records. If you have not, it will be to your 
advantage to work the exercise. 

2. Supply yourself with a ten cent composition book, 
about 7x8 inches or a little larger. 

3. Use the first page for the title and the purpose of 
the project. Make all the work so neat that you will 
never be ashamed to show the book to any one. 

4. Use page 2 for the opening inventory. Write this 
out on scratch paper first, check up all data and figures 
to see that they are correct, and then enter these in the 
book. Use page 3 for the closing inventory. 



52 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

5. Use pages 4 and 5 for the daily records as sug- 
gested in exercise 8 of this month. 

6. Use page 6 for one month's receipts, and page 7 
for expenses of the same month. If you are going to 
keep a six months' record, you will need 12 pages for 
receipts and expenses; if a year's record, 24 pages. 

7. Use two pages for the monthly sumrfiary sheet, or 
report. See exercise 8. 

8. Use one page for the yearly or semi-yearly sum- 
mary report. 

9. Plan out your work and your book. Show your 
plans to your teacher and parents to see if everything is 
provided for. Get some one at home to put the valua- 
tions on all the items for the opening and closing in- 
ventories. 

10. If labor records are to be kept, record the hours 
of work as you do the daily egg records. Determine 
the value of the work per hour and use these figures in 
your final summary sheet. 

References. — F. I>. 889: Back- Yard Poultry Keeping. F. B. 562: Boys' 
and Girls' Poultry Clubs. Poultry Calendar, "The Quaker Oats Co., Chi- 
cago, 111., Free. Bui. 464, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture: Lessons on Poultry 
for Rural Schools, 10 cents. 

Project 2 

PUTTING THE GARDEN INTO A GOOD WINTER CONDITION 

Object. — To clean up the garden, to fertilize it, to 
plow or spade it so as to have it ready for spring garden 
work. 

Explanation. — This is a short time project which may 
be well done by any boy in seventh or eighth grade. 
Too many gardens are neglected in the fall and present 



OCTOBER 53 

an unsightly condition during the winter. To get a 
garden into a good winter condition is a splendid project. 
Preparation. — i. Make a study of the care of the gar- 
den in the fall. Find out the value of preparing the 
garden in the fall. 

2. What vegetables may be left in the garden all 
winter ? 

3. What is gained by manuring the garden in the fall? 
By plowing it in the fall? 

4. Why should not the plowed garden be harrowed 
in the fall ? 

Procedure. — i. Accurately measure the garden and 
make a sketch of the garden plan, showing in a general 
way where the different vegetables were grown. This 
plan may help in forming the plan for the coming year. 

2. Remove all crops, not already harvested, which 
are not to remain in the ground. 

3. Remove all material not suitable for plowing under. 

4. Fertilize the garden with manure. 

5. Plow or spade the garden and leave it in a rough 
condition during the winter. 

6. Keep records of your time, other help, and horse 
labor. Give all these a value per hour, and figure the 
cost and value of the manure. 

References.— F. B. 818: Home Vegetable Garden. F. B. 936: City 
and Suburban Garden. F. B. 937: Farm Gardening in the North. F. B. 
934: Farm Gardening in the South 

Exhibits 

POULTRY EXHIBIT AND SALE 

I. In some localities, where a number of boys and 
girls are engaged in poultry raising projects, they hold 



54 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

an occasional poultry show or exhibit, and have a poul- 
try sale. 

2. Three or four school districts, or those of a town- 
ship, combine to hold the poultry show. The entry list 
includes cockrels and pullets of each of the common 
varieties raised. Sometimes this list is extended to old 
birds. Usually ribbons are given as prizes. 

3. In the sale held in connection with the poultry 
show, all surplus cockrels and pullets are scored and 
valued by a good judge. It is assumed, of course, that 
all the birds are pure bred. Farmers are then encour- 
aged to buy the pure bred stock. In one rural school 
poultry sale, the cockrels sold from $.50 to $10.00. 

4. Each boy should make his own exhibition coops. 

EXHIBIT OF PROJECT BOOKLETS 

1. Each school should make occasional efforts to show 
the community some of the work being done by the 
pupils. Project and club work should always be empha- 
sized. Exhibits of project booklets, together with other 
agricultural booklets, make an interesting display. 

2. A program for the benefit of the community, in 
which the pupils give brief accounts of their project 
work, and of their booklet making, will invariably prove 
interesting to the community. 

(See Exhibits in September.) 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN OCTOBER 

Well housed poultry flocks Breeds of swine 

Different breeds and varie- Winter crops 

ties of poultry Alfalfa fields in good winter 
Fall plowing condition 

Mulching strawberry plants 



NOVEMBER 
Exercise 1 

STUDY OF AN EAR OF CORN 

Object. — To make a study of a mature ear of corn. 

Explanation. — A good ear of dent corn should have 
a nearly cylindrical shape. Its length varies with the 
soil and season but should be from 8 to lo inches. The 
circumference of a good ear is about three-fourths of 
its length. ]\Iost ears of dent corn have about i6 rows, 
each row containing about 50 kernels of which about 35 
should be fit for seed. 

Materials. — Each member of the class should have a 
fairly good ear of corn of a variety grown in the com- 
munity, and a ruler. A small household balance or 
scales. 

Procedure. — i. Determine the answer to each of the 
following ten items by referring to the ear of corn you 
have. 

1. Length to plant one acre when 

2. Circumference drilled at 3' 6" x 14" .... 

3. Number of rows (10,688 kernels are re- 

4. Kernels per row quired) 

5. Total kernels on ear .... 10. Number of ears required 

6. Weight of ear to plant one acre when 

7. Ears required for a bush- checked at 3' 8" x 3' 8" 
el at 70 lbs. per bu three kernels in a hill .... 

8. Kernels fit for seed .... (9.720 kernels are re- 

9. Number of ears required quired) 

55 



56 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

2. The circumference is usually measured one-third 
of the distance up from the butt, by encircling the ear 
with a strip of paper and then measuring this paper 
with a ruler. 

3. Item 8, ''Kernels fit for seed." All the irregular 
tip and butt kernels are discarded for seed. Count the 
number of regular kernels on an average row and multi- 
ply this number by the number of rows. 

4. In item 7, a common estimate, generally used, is 
120 ears per bushel. Does the corn you studied run 
above or below this average ? 

5. It is commonly estimated that it requires from 12 
to 15 ears of corn to plant an acre. How does the corn 
you studied compare with this estimate ? 

Questions 

1. Drilling corn in rows 3' 6" apart and the kernels 14" 
apart in the row would be equivalent to planting how many 
kernels in a hill, if the hills are 3' 6" x 3' 6"? 

2. What was the average number of rows on all the ears 
studied? 

3. What was the average weight of all the ears? 

4. What would be the number of ears required for 70 
lbs., using the average weight per ear? 

5. How many average ears would be required to plant 
an acre in hills 3' 8" x 3' 8", three kernels per hill? 

Exercise 2 

A. LEARNING TO KNOW THE DIFFERENT GRAINS 

Object. — To examine heads and threshed samples of 
wheat, rye, barley, and oats ; and to be able to identify 
each. 



NOVEMBER 57 

Materials. — Heads of wheat, rye, barley, and oats, 
and threshed samples of each, balance, i pint measure 
(dry). 

Procedure. — i. Examine a head of wheat. Compare 
it with a head of rye, of barley, and of oats, and note 
how it differs from each of them. Compare threshed 
wheat with threshed samples of all the other grains and 
note how it differs from each of them. 

2. Repeat i with rye. How do the threshed samples 
of rye differ from those of wheat? 

3. Repeat i with barley. Separate the kernel from 
the hull and compare it with the separated kernel of 
wheat and of rye. 

4. Repeat i with oats. 

5. What is the legal weight per bushel of each of 
these four grains in your state ? What is the weight of a 
bushel of shelled corn? Why is oats so much lighter 
than the others ? What is the present market price of a 
bushel of each of these grains? 

B. GRADING GRAINS 

1. When car loads of any of these grains reach the 
large markets, they are graded as shown under Market 
Grades. The prices of the various grades are quoted 
in daily newspapers. 

2. H time permits, practice grading some of these 
grains. One pint, dry measure, of each sample is suffi- 
cient. From the weight of a pint you can determine the 
weight of a bushel. Spread the pint of grain out on a 
tin pie plate and examine it. Then make up your 
mind into what grade it falls. 



58 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

MARKET GRADES 

Oats 

No. I White Oats — Shall be white, dry, sweet, sound, bright, clean, 
free from other grain and weigh not less than 32 lbs. to the measured 
bushel. 

No. 2 White Oats — Shall be 95 per cent white, dry, sweet, shall con- 
tain not more than 1 per cent of dirt, and 1 per cent of other grain and 
weigh not less than 29 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

Standard White Oats — Shall be 92 per cent white, dry, sweet, shall not 
contain more than 2 per cent of dirt and 2 per cent of other grain and 
weigh not less than 28 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

No. 3 White Oafs — Shall be sweet, 90 per cent white, shall not contain 
more than 3 per cent of dirt and 5 per cent of other grain and weigh not 
less than 24 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

No. 4 White Oats — Shall be 90 per cent white, may be damp, dam- 
aged, musty or very dirty. 

Note — Yellow oats shall not be graded higher than No. 3 White Oats. 

Rye 

No. I Rye — Shall be dry, sound, plump, sweet and well cleaned and 
weigh not less than 57 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

No. 2 Rye — Shall be dry, sound and contain not more than 1 per cent 
of other grain or foreign matter and weigh not less than 55 lbs. to the 
measured bushel. 

No. 3 Rye — Shall include inferior rye not unsound, but from any other 
cause not good enough for No. 2 and weigh not less than 53 lbs. to the 
measured bushel. 

No. 4 Rye — May be damp, musty or dirty, and weigh not less than 50 
lbs. to the measured bushel. 

Barley 

No. I Barley — Shall be sound, plump, bright, clean and free from 
other grain, and not scoured nor clipped, shall weigh not less than 48 lbs. 
to the measured bushel. 

No. 2 Barley — Shall be sound, of healthy color (bright or straw color), 
reasonably clean and reasonably free from other grain and seeds, and not 
scoured nor clipped, shall weigh not less than 46 lbs. to the measured 
bushel. 

No. 3 Barley — Shall include slightly shrunken or otherwise lightly dam- 
aged barley, not good enough for No. 2, and not scoured nor clipped, shall 
weigh not less than 44 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

No. 4 Barley — Shall include barley fit for malting purposes, not good 
enough for No. 3. 

No. I Feed Barley — Shall test not less than 40 lbs. to the measured 
bushel, shall be cool and reasonably free from other grain and seeds, and 
not good enough for No. 4, and may include barley with a strong ground 
smell, or a slightly musty or bin smell. 

Rejected Barley — Shall include all barley testing under 40 lbs. to the 
measured bushel, or barley which is badly musty or badly damaged, and 
not good enough to grade "feed" barley. 

Winter Wheat 

No. I Hard Winter Wheat — Shall include all varieties of pure, hard 
winter wheat, sound, plump, dry, sweet and well cleaned, and weigh not 
less than 61 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

No. 2 Hard Winter Wheat- — Shall include all varieties of hard winter 
wheat of either or both light and dark colors, dry, sound, sweet and clean, 
and may contain not more than 25 per cent of soft red winter wheat, and 
weigh not less than 59 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

No. 3 Hard Winter Wheat — Shall include all varieties of hard winter 
wheat of either or both light and dark colors, not clean or plump enough 
for No. 2, and may contain not more than 25 per cent of soft red winter 
wheat, and weigh not less than 56 lbs. to the measured bushel. 



NOVEMBER 59 

No. 4 Hard Winter Wheat — Shall include all varieties of hard winter 
wheat of either or both light and dark colors. It may be damp, musty or 
dirty, and may contain not more than 25 per cent of soft red winter 
wheat, and weigh not less than 50 lbs. to the measured bushel. 

— From "Grades of Grain" — ///. Grain Inspec- 
tion Dept., Chicago, Illinois. 

Questions 

1. What are advantages of grading grains? 

2. Which grade of these grains is most abundantly found 
on the markets? (See quotations in newspapers.) 

Exercise 3 

JUDGING A DAIRY COW 

Object. — To learn to judge a dairy cow by means of 
a score card. 

Materials. — Score card for dairy cows, and a dairy 
cow. 

Explanation. — i. A score card enumerates all the im- 
portant considerations or points commonly considered 
in judging a dairy cow. The score card also gives a 
numerical value to each point ; the sum of these numer- 
ical values is lOO, the score of an ideally perfect animal. 
There are many different score cards for dairy cattle. 
They differ very little ; any one will do. The one here 
given is applicable to all dairy cows. 

SCORE CARD FOR DAIRY CATTLE 

Breed Name Register No 



General appearance. — A dairy cow should weigh not less 
then 800 pounds, have large capacity for feed, a dairy tem- 
perament, well developed milk organs, fine quality and per- 
fect health, and be capable of a large production of milk and 
butter fat. 



6o LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Points 



Perfect 



Scorer's 



Corrected 



Indication of capacity for feed, 25 points : 

Face, broad between the eyes and long; muzzle 
clean-cut; mouth large; lips strong; lower 
jaws lean and sinewy 

Body, wedge shape as viewed from front, side, 
and top; ribs long, far apart and well sprung; 
breast full and wide; flanks, deep and full. . . 

Back, straight; chine, broad and open; loin, 
broad and roomy 

Hips and thurls, wide apart and high 

Indication of dairy temperament, 25 points: 

Head, clean-cut and fine in contour; eyes, 
prominent, full, and bright 

Neck, thin, long, neatly joined to head and 
shoulders, and free from throatiness and 
dewlap 

Brisket, lean and light 

Shoulders, lean, sloping, nicely laid up to 
body ; points prominent ; withers sharp 

Back, strong, prominent to tail head and 
open jointed 

Hips, prominent, sharp and level with back. . 

Thighs, thin and incurving 

Tail, fine and tapering 

Legs, straight; shank fine 

Indication of well-developed milk organs, 25 points: 

Rump, long, wide, and level; pelvis roomy. . . 

Thighs, wide apart; twist, high and open. . . . 

Udder, large, pliable, extending well forward 
and high up behind; quarters, full, sym- 
metrical, evenly joined, and well held up to 
body 

Teats, plumb, good size, symmetrical, and 

well placed 

Indications of strong circulatory system, health, 
vigor, and milk flow, 25 points: 

Eyes, bright and placid 

Nostrils, large and open 

Chest, roomy _. . . 

Skin, pliable; hair, fine and straight; secretions 
abundant in ear, on body, and at end of tail 

Veins, prominent on face and udder; mam- 
mary veins, large, long, crooked, and branch- 
ing; milk wells large and numerous 

Escutcheon, wide and extending high up . . 



Total. 



Remarks 

Name of scorer Date . 

Bui. 281. U. S. Dept. of Agric. 



Procedure. — i. First, become thoroughly famiHar 
with the meaning of all the words mentioned on the 
score card. 



NOVEMBER 



6r 



2. Then learn to locate accurately the parts of a cow 
mentioned on the score card. 

3. Form an ideal of a perfect cow in your mind. 

4. Be able to describe the parts of a cow as they are 
to be found in a perfect animal. 

5. Go, as a class, to a neighboring farm where per- 
mission has been obtained to judge one of the cows. 



/^//=> 0OA/£r^ f* 




fO/PEHEAO' 



'muzzle: 



Ji>V/|.|il///r«\W//,//. 



PARTS OF A DAIRY COW. — Courtcsy U. S. Department of Agriculture 



6. With the ideal in mind, proceed to judge the cow. 
View the animal from all sides and record the score for 
each point in the proper place on the score card. 

7. When you have finished, ask the owner of the cow 
to score her. Write the owner's score in the third 
column, called ''corrected score." Compare your score 
with his and note the differences. 

8. Does the cow show a good capacity for feed? A 



62 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

good dairy temperament? Well developed milk organs? 
Good health and constitution? Is she a good producer? 
(Ask the owner.) 

To tJie Teacher. — Make arrangements with some farmer 
near the school to allow your pupils to judge a dairy cow, 
and leave a score card with him. Drill the class in naming 
and describing the parts of a cow before you go out to 
judge the animal. When the pupils have finished their judg- 
ing, get the owner to judge the animal, and have the pupils 
write his score in the last column of the score card headed 
^'Corrected." 

Exercise 4 

COMPETITIVE JUDGING OF DAIRY COWS 

Object. — To be able to pick out the first, second, and 
third best dairy cow from a group of four or five cows, 
and to state your reasons for your selections. 

Explanation. — There occur everywhere contests for 
boys and girls in judging a group of animals, — that is, 
picking out the first, second, and third best. This exer- 
cise is to help the pupil to learn how this judging is 
done. To be successful in such contests you need to 
practice this judging often. 

Materials. — A group of four or five dairy cows. 

Procedure. — i. The group of cows should be tied to 
a fence or to separate posts far enough apart to permit 
each animal to be studied. The animals should be 
numbered in the group or class. 

2. Carefully observe each cow in the group, bearing 
in mind the four questions asked at the end of exercise 
3, and also the most important points mentioned on the 
score card. Decide which of the cows is the best. 



NOVEMBER 



63 




JUDGING ANIMALS DEVELOPS GOOD JUDGMENT. — Courtssy International 
Harvester Co. 

Enter her number to right of ''First Place," and briefly 
state under "Remarks," why you consider her to be the 
best. 

STATEMENT FOR COMPETITIVE JUDGING. 

Name Date 

Kind of animals 



First Place. 



Remarks 



Second Place. 



Remarks 



Third Place. 



Remarks 



64 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

3. Follow this same method in selecting the second 
best cow in the group, and also the third. Under ''Re- 
marks" be sure to state the most important reasons, 
omitting minor details. 

To the Teacher. — Make the arrangements for this exercise 
with a nearby dairy farmer, before undertaking to carry it 
out. This exercise may be carried out the same day you go 
to judge a cow, and on the same farm. Clearly explain the 
exercise to the class before you start out to do the work. 
Chapter 23, pages 260-261, in "An Introduction to Agricul- 
ture," gives good suggestions for this exercise. 

Exercise 5 

COST OF A POUND OF DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS IN DIFFERENT 

FEEDS 

Object. — To calculate the cost of one pound of diges- 
tible nutrients, and the cost of one pound of digestible 
protein in a few common feeds. 

Explanation. — Review exercise 8 in September. The 
formula for calculating the total amount of digestible 
nutrients in a feeding stufif is: — 

Dig. protein -f dig. carbohydrates-|-(dig. fat X 2.25) = 
total amount of digestible nutrients. 

The value of any feeding stufif depends upon the total 
amount of digestible nutrients it contains, and upon the 
amount of protein. 

Procedure. — i. Below are four feeding stufifs, or 
feeds. Find the total amount of digestible nutrients, 
and the amount of digestible protein in 100 lbs. in each 
of them. Exercise 8, September, shows these. The 
last column is filled out to serve merely as an illustration. 



NOVEMBER 



65 





Shelled 
Corn 


Wheat 


Oats 


Wheat 
Bran 


Rye 


Total dig. nutrients in 100 lbs 

Digestible protein in 100 lbs 

Price per 100 lbs 


$ 


$ 


$ 


$ 


81.60 
950 

$2 50 


Cost of I lb. of dig. nutrients 

Cost of I lb. dig. protein 


• 03 

26 







2. Get the wholesale price of each of the four feeds 
considered in i, as given in local newspapers, or use 
prevailing local prices. Insert these figures in the proper 
places in the outline given above. 

3. Calculate the cost of i lb. of digestible nutrients in 
each feed, and insert these figures in the proper places. 
Carry your answers to two decimals. If the third deci- 
mal is five or more add i to the second decimal ; if it 
is less than 5, drop it. 

4. In like manner, calculate the cost of one lb. of 
protein in each of the feeds, as in article 3. 

5. If time permits, make similar calculation with other 
feeds. 

Questions 

1. In which of the four feeds considered can you get 
I lb. of digestible nutrients for the least money? 

2. In which can you buy protein at the lowest cost? 

3. What is the cheaper feed, corn or oats? 



To the Teacher. — These are good practical problems in 
arithmetic which 7th and 8th grade pupils should be able to 
work. Assign them for arithmetic and discuss the results 
in the agricultural period. 

Have the pupils extend all calculations to two decimals. 
If the third decimal is 5 or more add i to the second deci- 
mal; if less than 5 drop it. 



66 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Exercise 6 

haecker's feeding standards 
Object. — To learn how to calculate the amount of 
digestible nutrients dairy cows require, according to the 
results or standards Prof. Haecker established from 
experiments with feeding dairy cows. 

Explanation. — After feeding trials with dairy cattle, 
Professor T. L. Haecker, at the INIinnesota Agricultural 
Experiment Station, deducted that an animal weighing 
about 1,000 lbs. needed 





Digestible Nutrients. 


For Maintenance 
1000 Lbs. 


Protein 


Carbohydrates 


Fat 


Lbs. 
.70 


Lbs. 
7.00 


Lbs. 
.10 



per day to maintain its own weight, when the animal 
was not producing milk. He called this amount of 
required food, "food for maintenance." 

If the animal was producing milk, he found that for 
each pound of milk produced per day, the animal needed 
the following additional amounts of food. This amount 
varied with the butter fat test of the milk. He called 
this additional amount *'food for production." 

Additional food requirements for i lb. of milk testing: 





Digestible Nutrients 


Test of Milk Pi 


-otein 


Carbohydrates 


Fat 


' -^ 


Lbs. 


Lbs. 


Lbs. 


^"^'o. 


047 


.20 


.017 


3-57o 


049 




22 


.019 


4%^ 


054 




24 


.021 


4-5% 


057 




26 


.023 


5% 


060 




28 


.024 


5-5% 


064 




30 


.028 


6% 


067 


. 


32 


.028 



NOVEMBER d^ 

A. Calculating the Food Requirements for Maintenance. 

Procedure. — i. The food requirements for the main- 
tenance of an 800 lb. cow are : 

Protein Carbohydrates Fat 

. 56 Lbs. 5 . 60 Lbs. . 80 Lbs. 

. 7 lbs. protein . 7 lbs. carbohydrates . i lbs. fat 

X.8 X.8 X.8 

.■^6 lbs. protein 5. 60 lbs. carbohydrates .80 lbs. fat 

This is so because 800 lbs. is .8 of 1,000 lbs. 

2. Calculate in like manner the food for maintenance 
required by a 900 lb. cow; by a 1250 lb. cow. Give the 
results in tabular form as shown above. 

B. Calculating the Food Requirements for Production. 

Procedure. — i. The feed requirements for the produc- 
tion of 20 lbs. of 4% milk are : 



Protein 
1.08 lbs. 


Carbohydrates 
4.80 lbs. 


Fat 
.42 lbs. 


. 054 lbs. protein 
X20 
1 . 08 lbs. protein 


.24 lbs. carbohydrates 
X20 

4 . 80 lbs. carbohydrates 


.021 
X20 

. 42 lbs. fat 



2. In like manner calculate the feed requirements for 
the production of 20 lbs. of 3.5% milk; for 30 lbs. of 
5.5% milk. Give the results in tabular form as shown 
above. 

C. Calculating the Food Requirements for Maintenance 
and Production. 

Procedure. — i. According to the calculations given 
above an 800 lb. cow, producing 20 lbs. of 4% milk per 
day, would require in one day the following digestible 
nutrients : 



68 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 





Protein 
lbs. 


Carbohydrates 
lbs. 


Fat 

lbs. 




.56 
1 .08 

1.64 


5.60 
4.80 

10.40 


.80 


For production, 20 lbs., 4% milk.. . 


.42 




1.22 







2. In a similar manner calculate the total feed require- 
ments for a 

900-lb. cow producing 20 lbs. of 3.5% milk per day, 
also for a 

1250-lb. cow producing 30 lbs. of 5.5% milk per day. 

3. The calculations given above are used to aid in 
balancing, scientifically, rations for cows. Standards 
for other animals are used in exactly the same way. 
Another is given in Table 8, Appendix. If an animal 
requires in a day 

Protein Carbohydrates Fat 

1.64 lbs 10.40 lbs. 1.22 lbs. 

its ration will be balanced when the feed it is fed in a 
day contains these three nutrients in the proportions 
given above. 

Questions 

1. Two cows weigh 1,000 lbs. each. One gives 20 lbs. 
of 4 per cent milk in a day, and the other 40 lbs. of 4 per 
cent milk; which one should be given the most feed? 

2. Of two cows, one weighs 800 lbs., and the other, 1,200 
lbs., and they both give the same amount of milk, testing 4 
per cent; which is the more profitable cow? 



To the Teacher. — The problems in this exercise constitute 
good work in arithmetic in the practical use of tables. As- 
sign them for arithmetic work and discuss the results in ag- 
riculture. For a further discussion of them, see Bui. 130, 



NOVEMBER 69 

Feeding Dairy Cows. College of Agriculture, St. Paul, 
Minn., and Introduction to Agriculture, chap. 21. 

Exercise 7 

BALANCING RATIONS FOR DAIRY COWS 

Object. — To learn how rations for dairy cows are 
scientifically balanced. 

Explanation. — A balanced ration is one which supplies 
an animal with the proper amount of the three nutrients, 
protein, carbohydrates, and fat, in the proper propor- 
tions by weight. The feeding standards, based on many 
feeding trials, one of which was described in exercise 
6, are our best authority for finding out what the needs 
of the animals are. If we know the needs, or total 
.amounts of the three digestible nutrients an animal re- 
quires, and then feed that animal a suitable ration con- 
taining these digestible nutrients in approximately the 
same proportions by weight, the ration will be balanced. 

Procedure. — i. Let us suppose that we have a 1,000 
lb. cow which is producing 25 lbs. of 5% milk per day, 
and that we want to feed her a balanced ration according 
to the Haecker Feeding Standards. 

2. The feed requirements for this cow are: 



NUTRIENTS REQUIRED 





Protein 
lbs. 


Carbohydrates 
lbs. 


Fat 
lbs. 


Total 

Nutrients 

lbs. 


For maintenance, looo lbs 

For 25 lbs. of 5% milk 


.70 

1. SO 

2. 20 


7.00 
7.00 

14.00 


.10 
.60 

.70 






17.58 







The nutritive ratio of the requirements is i : 7.0. 



70 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



3. Let us suppose that we have on hand red clover 
hay, corn silage, and ground barley, corn, and oil meal, 
and that by the use of these feeds we wish to feed the 
cow a balanced ration. As the data shows, these feeds, 
taken in the following amounts, approximately balance 
the requirements of the cow. 

NUTRIENTS PROVIDED IN RATION. 



Feed 


Amount 


Protein 


Carbo- 
hydrates 


Fat 


Total 

Nutrients 


Clover hay 

Corn silage 

Corn ground 

Oil meal 


Lbs. 

13 
32 

2 

I 

2 

3 


Lbs. 

.92 
.40 
.16 
■30 
•17 
•32 


Lbs. 

4.91 
4 54 
1-34 

I-5I 


Lbs. 
.24 

:^ 

.07 
•03 
.12 


Lbs. 


Barley, ground .... 
Oats, ground 




Nutrients provided. 




2.25 


13 93 


•77 


17.91 


Nutrients required . 




2.20 


14.00 


.70 


17.58 



The nutritive ratio of the food provided is i : 7.0. 

4. The nutrients in the ration provided, approximately 
balance the nutrients required, and the ration is closely 
enough balanced for ordinary purposes. Calculations 
show that the total amount of digestible nutrients in the 
ration slightly exceed the amount in the requirements. 

5. In like manner balance a ration for an 800 lb. cow 
producing 20 lbs. of 4% milk a day. 

A few hints may not be amiss here. 
In formulating rations — 

Allow about I lb. of hay and 3)^ lbs. of silage for 
every 100 lbs. of live weight, and i lb. of a good grain 



NOVEMBER 71 

mixture to each 3 to 4 lbs. of milk produced per day. 
If no silage is fed, allow 2 lbs. of hay for every 100 
lbs. of live weight. 

6. If time permits, balance a ration for a 1,200 lb. cow 
producing 30 lbs. of 4% milk per day. 



"An Introduction to Agriculture," Ciiapter 21, gives a discussion of 
balanced rations. See Exercise 8, September, for calculating the total 
nutrients. See Exercise 5, October, for calculating the nutritive ratio. 



Exercise 8 

JUDGING POULTRY 

Object. — To learn how to judge poultry. 

Explanation. — In communities which lay considerable 
stress on poultry raising, and where poultry clubs exist 
in the school, it will be advisable to take up this exercise. 
The school should be provided with a copy of ''Stan- 
dards of Perfection," published by the American Poultry 
Association, Chicago. Price $2.00. It is the most au- 
thoritative book on poultry judging, and gives full 
directions, disqualifications, and score cards for each 
breed. 

Procedure. — i. Learn the names of the parts of a 
chicken as shown in the cut. Cover the names of the 
parts, and see if you can name them correctly. 

2. Learn to know the characteristics of the different 
parts of a bird of the breed and variety you intend to 
judge. These are given in "Standards of Perfection." 

3. With your teacher visit a farm where permission 
has been secured to judge a bird of the breed whose 
characteristics you have studied. 



72 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



mrTLE^ 



plCKLES 



MAIN 
TAIL 




LES^EZ 






CLAST -w^ 



CUT SHOWING PARTS OF A GOOD MALE BIRD. — Courtcsy Missouri State College 
of Agriculture 



4. With the ideal in mind, proceed to judge the bird. 
Take up each point as it occurs on the score card. 



NOVEMBER 



yz 



Poultry Score Card 

The score card is a means of directing the attention 
to the different parts of a chicken with the relative vakie 
given to each part. It does not propose to give a Hst 
of cuts, but rather to help one to judge by comparison. 
The following score card divides the bird into ten sec- 
tions. 



Breed Variety 

Sex Weight 





Allowed 


Cuts 




Shape 


Color 


Shape 


Color 


I. Condition, weight and size 


8 
10 

8 

4 
6 
6 

5 
5 
5 
3 








2 Comb . . 








% Head adjuncts 


7 
4 
6 

5 
5 
5 
5 
3 






4. Neck 






5. Back 






6. Tail 






7. Wings 






8. Breast 






q. Body 






10. Legs and toes 












Total 


60 


40 













To the Teacher. — Very often the score card method of judging poultry 
is too difficult to undertake unless one has the assistance of a person who 
has judged poultry in like manner. Much may be gained by taking the 
class to places near the school where the pupils may observe and study 
some of the breeds of the four common classes of poultry. Let the puoils 
pick out in each flock a few birds which are good specimens of their breed. 
If you take up this exercise in this manner, have the class observe, and 
describe in their notes, the characteristics of each class and of each breed 
of poultry studied. 



74 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 9 

DAIRY CATTLE BOOKLET 

Object. — To make an illustrated booklet showing com- 
mon breeds of dairy cows. 

Procedure. — i. Read again Exercise 9, October *Toul- 
try Booklet." The general plan of the dairy cattle book- 
let will be similar to that of the poultry booklet. 

2. Suggested table of contents for a dairy cattle book- 
let. 




SAMPLES OF GOOD DAIRY CATTLE BOOKLETS. TRY TO MAKE BETTER ONES.' 

Courtesy Rural Students, Whitewater, Wis., Normal School 

Table of Contents 

1. General characteristics 4. Guernseys 
of Dairy Cattle 5. Ayrshires 

2. Holsteins 6. Brown Swiss » 

3. Jerseys 7. Dutch Belted 



NOVEMBER 



75 



3. Devote page one of the booklet to the "Table of 
Contents," and pages 2 and 3, the two pages opposite 
each other at the same opening, to the general char- 
acteristics of dairy cattle, merely mentioning the differ- 
ent breeds in a columnar form. Illustrate your discus- 
sions. 

4. Devote the next six pages to the six common breeds 
of dairy cattle, — one breed to a page with one or two 
illustrations for each breed. 

5. Make a cover and bind the booklet as suggested in 
Ex. 9, Oct. 

6. A beef cattle booklet may be made in a similar 
manner. 

Exercise 10 

DAIRY CATTLE SURVEY 

Object. — To make a dairy cattle survey of the school 
district. 

Procedure. — i. The following outline is suggested for 
the dairy cattle survey. 



DAIRY CATTLE SURVEY. 
School District No Town of Co. 



Date 





Number of Cows 


Number of 




Name of Farmer 


Pure 
Bred 


Grade 


Scrub 


Young 
stock 


Sires 


Breed 


I. 

2. 
3. 

4- 
Etc. 




• 











y(i LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

For articles 2-3-4-5, see Exercise 10, October, and 
complete this exercise in same general manner as that 
on potatoes. 

6. A similar outline may be used for beef cattle. 

To the Teacher. — If the class makes a dairy cattle booklet, 
as outlined in previous exercise, this survey would be an 
interesting sheet to add to the booklet. 



Project 1 

SPROUTING OATS FOR LAYING HENS. 

Object. — To sprout oats for laying hens during the 
winter months when no other green feed is available. 

Explanation. — Green feed serves 
as an appetizer for all kinds of poul- 
try. It adds variety to the ration, has 
good effect upon the digestive system, 
iand also imparts a good yellow color 
to the yolk of the tgg. During the 
greater part of the year, the free 
range supplies ample green feed, but 
during the cold winter months sprout- 
ed oats form a good substitute for the 
range. Do not undertake this project 
unless you have a warm cellar which 
contains a heating plant. 

Preparation. — i. Gather all the in- 
formation you can about sprouting 
oats. 
2. Try to see some manufactured or home-made oat 
sprouters. If it is possible, inquire also the method used 
in sprouting oats. 




TRY YOUR HAND AT 
MAKING A RACK FOR 
TRAYS OF SPROUT- 
ING OATS. 



NOVEMBER 'jy 

Procedure. — Make six or seven trays about i^ or 2 
inches high. For the ends and sides use ;^ inch or ^ 
inch wood strips. For the bottom of a tray use any 
Hght lumber, such as found in orange or soap boxes. 
A good size for the trays is 12 x 18 inches. This is 
large enough to supply oats for 30 or 40 hens. 

2. Soak enough oats in a bucket of warm water over 
night to make a layer ^ to i inch deep when spread out 
in a tray. The following morning drain off the water 
and spread the oats out in the tray. 

3. Set the tray in a warm part of the cellar and 
sprinkle the oats with warm water every morning and 
night. Never let the oats get dry. In about two weeks 
the oats will have sprouted enough to be used as feed. 

4. Every three or four days start a new tray, and 
keep the project going as long as you wish to feed 
sprouted oats. 

5. If you start a tray every three days you will allow 
three days to feed the oats held in a tray, and since it 
takes about two weeks for these oats to get ready to 
be fed, you will need from four to six trays. 

6. A rack may easily be made which will hold all the 
trays. 

7. Keep accurate account of the amount of oats used 
in a month, and of your time, allowing yourself 15 cts. 
per hour. What does the sprouted oats cost a rnonth? 

Reference. — Poultry Production, Lippincott. Pages 353 and 354. 



78 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Project 2 



WINTER MANAGEMENT OF A SMALL FLOCK OF PULLETS 

Object. — To take entire charge of the management of 
a small flock, 6 or 12 pullets, during the winter. 

Explanation. — This is an excellent project for an, 
enterprising boy or girl during the winter. A small 
flock of ]\Iarch or April hatched chicks, fairly well ma- 
ture by October, will 



begin to lay in No- 
vember and continue 
to lay during the 
winter if the flock is 
properly fed and 
housed. 

Procedure. — i. Be- 
fore starting this pro- 
ject, one should have 
a clear and definite 
idea of the different 
factors essential to 
the successful winter 
management of a 
flock of poultry. The following topics should be studied 
and well understood and all preparations for housing 
made before the project is started. 

a. What kind of a poultry house and how large a house 
do I need for piy flock? 

b. What interior fixtures should the house have? 

c. What is a good winter ration? Is this ration balanced 
for egg production? What is its nutritive ratio? 




TWO GIRLS WHO FOIND MUCH ENJOYMENT 
IN TAKING CARE OF THE HOME FLOCK. 

Courtesy Iowa State Teachers' College. 



NOVEMBER 7c/ 

d. From what source are the birds going to get animal 
protein ? 

e. How am I going to supply the birds with succulent 
and green feed? 

f. How much scratch feed should I feed the birds? 

g. What records ought I to keep? 

h. Where am I going to get the pullets? What should I 
pay for them? How can I pick out good ones? 

2. When all preparations have been made, get the 
birds and start the project. 

3. Make an account book from a 5 or 10 cent compo- 
sition book. Start with the opening inventory. See 
Exercise 8, October, and Project i, October. 

4. Keep accurate egg records and receipt and expense 
accounts. See Exercise 8, October. 

5. Be sure to fill out the monthly summary sheet as 
suggested in Exercise 8, October. 

6. At the close of the project, get the closing inventory 
and fill out the final summary sheet. 

7. Get some one to feed the birds at noon and evening 
for you when in school. 

8. Keep separate labor records, if you wish, and sub- 
tract the cost of labor from the profit over feed to get 
the net profit. 

References.— F. B. 957: Poultry Diseases. F. B. 287: Poultry Man- 
agement. F. B. 889: Poultry Keeping. F. B. S28: Hints to Poultry 
Raisers. Dept. Bui. 464: Lessons on Poultry for Rural Schools. 10 
cents, Supt. of Public Documents. 

See "An Introduction to Agriculture," Table i, Appendix, Government 
Publications. 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN NOVEMBER 

Different Breeds of Cattle Winter Protection of Shrubs 

Good Milk House Model Dairy Barn 

Root Cellar [Grafting A Separator 

Cuttings of Twigs for Spring Seed Corn Curing Room 



DECEMBER 



Exercise 1 



TESTING MILK FOR BUTTER FAT 



Object. — To find the per cent of butter fat in milk. 
Explanat'on. — In testing milk for butter fat a definite 
amount of milk is mixed with a definite amount of acid 
in a graduated milk testing bottle. The acid dissolves 
all the constituents of the milk except 
the butter fat. The bottle containing 
the mixture of acid and milk is re- 
volved in a Babcock tester which 
quickly separates the butter fat from 
the mixture. Hot water is then added 
to the bottle, and the mixture is re- 
volved again. This action brings all 
j^ the butter fat up into the graduated 

/\ portion of the test bottle so that it 

Hll jj can be measured. This test, known 

'tJ D as the Babcock test, was invented by- 

Prof. S. M. Babcock, of the Wiscon- 
sin State Agricultural College. 

Materials — Babcock tester, milk test 

bottles, pipette, acid measure, sulphuric acid, samples of 

milk, two glasses, beaker, water bath, and thermometer. 

Procedure. — i. The fundamental steps in testing milk 

are: 

80 



PIPETTE AND MILK 
TEST BOTTLE . 

Courtesy De Laval 
Separator Co. 



DECEMBER 



8i 



a. Sampling" 

b. Pipetting 

c. Adding acid [ing 

d. Whirling and water add- 



e. Heating in a water bath 

f. Reading the test 

g. Cleaning 



2. Sampling. — Stir well the milk you are to bring to 
school to test, before you take a sample of it. Use a 
pint Mason jar in which to carry the milk. When you 
are ready to test it, shake the jar gently to loosen the 
cream which may stick to the sides. Remove the cover 
and pour the milk back and forth in and out of a glass 
several times. 

3. Pipetting. — I m m e d i- 
ately draw milk into the pi- 
pette by suction with your 
mouth, to a point about yi 
of an inch above the circular 
mark on the neck of the pi- 
pette. Firmly press your 
tongue against the opening 
of the pipette so that you can 
place the forefinger of your 
left hand over the lower opening of the pipette and re- 
lease the tongue. Then press the forefinger of the right 
hand firmly over the top opening of the pipette, and 
remove the finger at the lower end. A large drop of 
milk will fall from the pipette. Now replace the finger 
at the lower end, and remove the finger at the top for 
a moment and then replace. Release the finger at the 
lower end, as before. Continue this until the milk low- 
ers to the mark. You have now 17.6 c.c. of milk, or 18 
grams. Run the milk into the test bottle held at an angle. 




SHOWING PROPER WAY TO ADD THE 
MILK TO A TEST BOTTLE. Cour- 

tcsy De Laval Separator Co. 



82 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



4. Adding Acid. — Fill the acid measure to the mark, 
with the sulphuric acid used to test milk. Pour it care- 
fully and slowly into the bottle, holding the same at a 

slant. Then m i x the 
contents by a rotary mo- 
tion, the mouth of the 
bottle being held away 
from the face. Keep on 
mixing the contents un- 
til all the curd has com- 
pletely dissolved. 

5. Whirling and Add- 
ing Water. — Place the 
bottle in the tester, bal- 
ancing with a similar 
bottle filled with milk or 
water on the other side. 
Whirl at the speed in- 
dicated on the machine 
for five minutes. Stop 
the machine, and with a 
beaker or acid measure, 
add boiling hot soft water to the bottle of milk you are 
testing until the fat is raised to the base of the neck. 
Whirl again for two minutes. Add more hot water 
slowly to bring the fat into the graduated portion of the 
neck of the bottle. Whirl for one minute. 

6. Heating in a Water Bath. — Set the bottle in a hot 
water bath, having a temperature of 125° to 135° 
Fahrenheit, for ten minutes. If no water bath is avail- 
able, proceed at once to article 7, reading the test. 




SHOWING HOW THE MILK TEST SHOULD 

BE READ." — Courtesy Indiana Experiment 



DECEMBER 



83 



7. Reading. — Read the fat column from the very bot- 
tom of lower end to the very top of the upper as shown 
in cut. Use dividers if you have them. Record the test. 

8. Cleaning. — Empty the bottles, while hot, with con- 
tinuous shaking to loosen the sediment in the bottom. 
Rinse the bottles with hot water. 

Questions 

1. Why is the testing of milk for butter fat important? 

2. Why do many farmers weigh and test the milk of their 
cows ? 

3. If 100 lbs. of 3.5 per cent milk is worth $2.00, what 
would 100 lbs. of 5 per cent milk be worth if 4 cents is pai3 
for each i/io per cent fat over 3.5 per cent. 

Exercise 2 

testing cream and skim milk for butter fat 

A. testing cream 

Object. — To test cream for the per cent of butter fat. 
Materials. — Milk testing outfit, cream test bottles and 
cream balance. 




A CREAM TEST BOTTLE. 

— Courtesy De La- 
val Separator Co. 



A CREAM BALANCE. 

Courtesy De Laval 
Separator Co. 



84 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Procedure. — i. Cream is tested for butter fat in 
almost the same manner as milk is. Cream test bottles 
must be used, and exactly i8 grams must be put in the 
bottles. For this purpose a sensitive cream balance 
must be used. Add the cream from a pipette to the 
bottle on the balance until i8 grams have been added. 

2. The test is read from the bottom of the column of 
butter fat to the top of the meniscus, 
or upper curved surface, of the but- 
ter fat. 

B. TESTING SKIM MILK 

Procedure. — i. In testing skim milk 
special double-necked bottles must be 
used. 

2. 17.6 c.c. of the skim milk is 
^ Bo™K.^"c.«,SS added to the bottle with the pi- 
f/r co:"''^ ^"^""'" pette, but through the large neck, 
and the test is read on the narrow- 
graduated neck. 

3. Use 21 c.c. of sulphuric acid in testing skim milk. 

Questions 

1. Why is the neck of a cream test bottle larger than 
that of a milk test bottle? 

2. What is gained by testing skim milk? 

3. Why does a skim milk test bottle have two necks? 

4. How would you write decimally t%"o% 

To the Teacher. — There are for sale pipettes which have 
two circular marks around the upper portion. The lower 
mark designates the amount of milk to use in making a but- 
ter fat test, and the upper mark designates the amount of 




DECEMBER 



8S 



cream to use. Such a pipette may be used in place of a 
balance to get the approximate test of the cream. 



Exercise 3 

DAIRY RECORDS AND COMPUTATIONS 

Object. — To learn to keep dairy records and to figure 
the profit over feed cost of one or more cows for a 
month. 

Materials. — Milk scales, and record sheets. 

Procedure. — i. Make a milk record sheet as suggested 
below. 



Month 
Date 


Name 
of Cow 


Name 
of Cow 


Name 
of Cow 


Name 
of Cow 


I A.M. 
P.M. 










2 A.M. 
P.M. 










3 A.M. 
P.M. 










Etc. 











Record the weight of the milk df each cow produced at 
each milking. 

2. Make a feed record sheet as suggested below. 





Name of Cow 


Name of Cow 


Date 


Hay 
lbs. 


Silage 
lbs. 


Grain 
lbs. 


Hay 
lbs. 


Silage 
lbs. 


Grain 
lbs. 


I. 

2. 

3. 

4- 
Etc. 















Extend this form to the right according to the num- 
ber of cows, and down for the number of days in the 



86 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

month. Record the weight of the feed fed, weighing the 
ration once or twice a week, 

3. About the middle of the month, test the milk of 
each cow by taking a little milk from the evening and 
morping milkings. Determine the weight of the milk 
produced during the first half of the month. Through 
your test of the milk determine also the amount of butter 
fat produced. Repeat at the end of the month. Get 
the totals for the month for each cow. 

4. Get the total weight of each kind af feed for 
each cow for the month. 

5. Make and fill out the suggested monthly summary 
sheets. 



VALUE OF MILK— MONTHLY REPORT. 





Name of 
Cow- 


Lbs. of Milk 
Produced 


Test 


Lbs. of 

Fat 


Value 


I. 

L. 












FEED COST— MONTHLY REPORT. 




Name of 
Cow 


Lbs. 
hay 


Cost 


Lbs. 
silage 


Cost 


Lbs. 
grain 


Cost 


Total 
cost of 
all feed 


I. 

L. 


















PROFITS OVER FEED— MONTHLY REPORT 




Name of 
Cow 


Value of 
Product 


Cost of 
Feed 


Profit over 
Feed 


I. 

L. 


. 









DECEMBER 



87 



To the Teacher. — The teacher should try to obtain milk 
and feed records of a small herd for a period of one to six 
months; and from these data have the class complete the 
records outlined above. It may be possible for some mem- 
ber of the class to get these records for the teacher, or to 
get the data from a tester, if there is a Cow Testing As- 
sociation in the district. 

Exercise 4 





PLACING THREE EARS OF CORN 

Object. — To place or rank three ears of corn for each 
of the points mentioned on the score card. 

Materials. — 
Three ears of 
corn and a score 
card. 

Procedure. — 
I. Take three 
ears of some va- 
riety of corn 
and number 
them 1-2-3. This 
is done best by 
placing a rubber 
band around the 
center of each 
ear and then 
slipping under 
this band a 
small piece of paper on which the number is written. 

2. In placing or ranking corn for all the points men- 





THE MIDDLE EAR HAS THE MOST DESIRABLE SHAPE, 

LENGTH, AND CIRCUMFERENCE. — Coiirtcsy Wiscon- 
sin State Agricultural College 



88 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

tioned on the score card, you want to know which is 
the best, which is the second best, and which is the poor- 
est, or in other words, how the ears rank, — first, second, 
or third, for each point mentioned. If ear three has 
the best tip, and ear one, the second best, the three ears 




THE TIP ON THE RIGHT IS THE MOST DESIRABLE, CoUrtesy WtSCOnStn State 

College of Agriculture 



would rank 3-1-2 under the point, tips, meaning ear 
three has the best tip, and ear two the poorest. 

3. As a guide for this work use the outline given for 
judging corn, Exercise 5, of this month. 

4. Proceed in manner suggested above for each of the 
points on the score card and record your results in the 
form suggested. 



FORM OF RECORD FOR PLACING CORN 



Points to Consider 


Sample i 


Sample 2 


First 


Second 


Third 


First 


Second 


Third 


1. Type and Uniformity. . . 

2. Maturity and Market 

Condition 

3. Purity (a) Kernel 

(b) Cob 


















6. Circumference of Ear. . . 

7. Shape of Kernel 

8. Uniformity of Kernel 

9. Character of Germ 

10. Butts 




II. Tips 




12. Space between Rows 

13. Size of Cob 





DECEMBER 89 

5. Place another sample of three ears, in like manner. 
Let the second sample be one that some other member 
of the class placed. Compare and discuss your results 
with his. Did you agree on all points? 

6. Which was the best ear of each sample you placed ? 
Tell why. 




THE SECOND EAR IS THE BEST FROM EVERY STANDPOINT. Courtesy WtSCOtlsin 

Agricultural Experiment Station 

Exercise 5 

A. JUDGING CORN 

Object. — To judge by means of a score card a ten ear 
sample of corn. 

Materials. — Ten ears of corn, ruler or tape, and a 
score card. 
■ Explanation. — In judging corn, ten ears are generally 



90 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



used. The defects of each ear for each point mentioned 
on the score card are determined and charged against 
it, as deductions or cuts from the amount of the perfect 
score. 




A WELL SELECTED AND WELL ARRANGED TEN-EAR SAMPLE. CoUVtesy U. S. 

Department of Agriculture 

Procedure. — i. Arrange the ten ears in a systematic 
order, largest ear to the left. Number the ears i to lo. 
Two or three pupils may work together on one sample, 
one pupil recording the cuts, another the score, and the 
third, handling the corn. 



CORN SCORE CARD 






SCALE OF POINTS 


No. of Sample 




lO 
ID 

5 
5 

ID 
10 

5 

5 

5 

10 

5 
5 

5 

10 
100 











2. Maturity and Market Con- 
dition 










3 Purity (a) Kernel 










(b) Cob 










4. Shape of Ear. 










5. Length of Ear 




















7. Shape of Kernel 










8. Uniformity of Kernel. . . 




















ID. Butts 










II. Tips 








































Total 





















DECEMBER 91 

VARIETY STANDARDS 
Recognized Varieties: 

Yellow Length Circumference 

Reid's Yellow Dent lo to lo^^ 7M to 7^^ 

Learning lo to lo J^ iWto 7% 

Legal Tender lo to loH 7H to 7 H 

White 

Boone County White loHto 11 7Hto 7^ 

St. Charles White 10 to 10 1^ 7^ to 7 H 

Other Varieties: 

Yellow Length Circumference 

Cartner 9 to 9H 7M to 7M 

St. Charles Yellow 10 J^ to 11 iH to 7 ^ 

White 

Silvermine 9 to 9H 7 to 7M 

Johnson Co. White iqI^ to 11 7 V^ to 7 M 

General Entries 9H to loH 7^^ to 7^ 

Variety Judged 

2. Use the guide in determining the cuts. Judge all 
ten ears for the first point mentioned on the score card. 
If ear i does not closely correspond in all particulars to 
the variety or type of corn being judged, and if it does 
not resemble in a general way the remaining nine ears, 
it should be cut for "Type and Uniformity." How 
much? Use your own estimation. It may be cut all 
the way from i/io of a point to i point. Study ear 
two in the same manner, then ear three, and so on. Add 
the cuts for the ten ears. Subtract this total from 
the perfect score mentioned on the score card and record 
the diflference in the proper place on the score card. 

3. In like manner judge the lo ears for the second 
point, '^Maturity and Market condition"; then for the 
third point and so on to the end. 

4. If time permits, when you have judged a sample 
of 10 ears, exchange your sample with some other mem- 
ber of the class who has judged ten ears and then com- 
pare results. 



92 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

GENERAL GUIDE FOR JUDGING CORN 



Things to Consider 


Guide for Cuts. 


I. All ears should be alike. Color of 
kernels and of cob, and shape and 
indentation of kernels should re- 
semble the variety. 


Cuts from .1 to i.o for each ear show- 
ing any difTerences. 


2. Corn should be mature and be of 
grade i. See grading corn at end 
of this exercise. 


Cut from .1 to i.o for each immature 
ear and for each ear not good enough 
for grade i . 


3. a. True to variety. 
No discolored kernels, 
b. Cherry red for yellow corn. 
Glistening white for white corn. 


Cut from .1 to .5 for each ear showing 

discolored kernels. 

Cut from .1 to .5 for each cob ofif color. 


4. Should be cylindrical, not crooked 
or tapering. See illustration. 


Cut from .1 to 1.0 for each ear not 
cylindrical. 


S. See notes on score card. 


Add excess and deficiencies of the ten 
ears together and cut i point for each 
inch. 


6. See notes on score card. 


Cut as for 5. 


7. Wedge shape, not pointed, deep. 


Cut from .1 to .5 for each ear showing 
poorly shaped kernels. 


8. Alike in size and shape. Uniform 
on each ear. 


Cut from .1 to .5 for each ear showing 
uniform kernels. 


9. Should be smooth and bright. 


Cut from .1 to 1.0 for each ear having 
kernels whose germs are shriveled or 
discolored. 


10. Not contracted or enlarged. 
Kernels in regular rows. 
Shank of medium size. 


JZut from .1 to 1.0 tor each ear having 
a defective butt. 


II. Rounded. Completely covered 
with uniform kernels in regular 
rows. 


Cut from .1 to .5 for each ear. 


12. No space between kernels in the 
row at the cob or at the crown of 
the kernels. 


Cut from .1 to .5 for each ear. 


13. Medium size. Large cob and shal- 
low kernels gives a low percentage 
of corn. Percentage of corn 86. 


Cut from .1 to 1.0 for each ear having 
a large cob. 



B. MARKET GRADES OF CORN 



Explanation. — Only shelled corn is shipped to the 
large markets. When a carload arrives at a market, a 
sample is taken by a State Grain Inspector. He sends 



DECEMBER 



93 



this sample to the state laboratory where it is graded. 
Then the whole carload, from which the sample has been 
taken, is given the grade allotted to the sample. The 
value of the corn is determined by the grade into which 
it is put. Daily papers usually publish the current 
wholesale selling price of each grade of corn. The 
market grades of corn are here given. 

RULES FOR GRADING CORN. 
The following maximum limits shall govern all inspection and grading of com : 





MAXIMUM PERCENTAGES OF 


Grade 

Classification 

White. Yellow 

and 

Mixed Corn 


Moisture 


Damaged 
Corn 


Foreign material, 
including dirt cob 
other grains, fine- 
ly broken corn, 
etc. 


"Cracked" 
com, not in- 
cluding finely 
broken corn. 


Xo. I 

No. 2 


14.0 
ISS 
17. 5 
19. 5 
21. 5 
23.0 


2 

I 

8 
10 
IS 


I 
I 
2 
2 
3 
5 


2 
3 
4 
4 
S 
7 


No. 3 


No. 4 . 


No. s 


No. 6.. 





"Sample" See General Rule No. S for Sample Grade. 



General Rules. — i. The corn in grades No. i to No. 
5 inclusive must be sweet. 

2. White Corn, all grades, shall be at least 98 per cent 
white. 

3. Yellow Corn, all grades, shall be at least 95 per cent 
yellow. 

4. In addition to the various limits indicated, No. 6 
corn may be musty, sour, and may also include corn of 
inferior quality, such as immature and badly blistered. 

5. All corn that does not meet the requirements of 
either of the six numerical grades by reason of an exces- 
sive percentage of moisture, damaged kernels, foreign 



94 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

matter or ''cracked" corn ; or corn that is hot, heat dam- 
aged, fire burnt, infested with live weevil, or otherwise of 
distinctly low quality, shall be classed as sample grade. 

6. Moisture percentages, as provided for in these 
grade specifications, shall conform to results obtained by 
the standard method and tester as described in Circular 
']2, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agri- 
culture. 

Procedure. — i. Grade a quart sample of shelled corn. 
To do this, take a handful of the corn, spread this out 
on the desk, and follow the directions given in the Rules 
for Grading Corn, omitting the moisture test. 

2. Into what grade did you put the corn? Why? 

To the Teacher. — A booklet on market grades of corn and 
other grains can be secured, free of charge, from the Illi- 
nois State Grain Inspection Department, Chicago, Illinois. 

Exercise 6 

STRUCTURE OF SEEDS 

Object. — To make a study of a kernel of corn and of 
a lima bean seed. 

Materials. — Soaked kernels of corn and soaked lima 
bean seeds. 

A. CORN 

Procedure. — i. Make an enlarged drawing of a kernel 
of corn with the germ, or depressed side, toward you. 

2. Cut a soaked kernel of corn lengthwise through 
the center. Draw a picture of the cut surface and label 
the endosperm, cotyledon, stem, and root. 

3. Cut another kernel crosswise in three regions, — one 



DECEMBER 95 

above the little stem, one through the stem, and a third 
through the region of the little root. Make an enlarged 
drawing of the lower surface of each of the first three 
cut sections. Label all parts. 

4. What is the function of each part of the kernel? 

B, LIMA BEAN 

Procedure. — i. Make an enlarged drawing of the side 
view of a lima bean seed. 

2. Carefully remove the seed coat of a soaked lima 
bean, being careful not to break off of the seed, the 
small, peg-shaped structure. Draw the seed as you see. 
it now. 

3. Carefully remove one of the cotyledons so as to 
leave the little, peg-shaped structure, or root, and the 
small structures, or leaves, between the cotyledons, at- 
tached to one cotyledon. Draw the inner surface of this 
cotyledon showing the little immature plant attached to 
it. Label parts. 

4. How does a bean seed differ from a kernel of corn ? 

To the Teacher. — A few days before you take up this 
exercise with the class, soak in a glass of water enough navy 
bean seeds and kernels of corn to supply the class. 

Exercise 7 

EXAMINATION OF FARM SEEDS 

Object. — To become familiar with the characteristics 
of a number of farm seeds, such as clover, alfalfa, tim- 
othy, etc. 

Materials. — One ounce samples of three or four com- 
mon farm seeds. 



96 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Procedure. — i. Place a small teaspoonful of each seed 
sample on a sheet of white paper. 

2. Separate the large, plump seeds from the small, 
shriveled, or broken seeds, and from other material. 
Make four groups out of each sample as: — i. Large 
seeds ; 2. small or broken seeds ; 3. weed seeds ; 4. inert 
matter as chaff, dirt, etc. 

3. Briefly describe the sample you have examined. 

4. In like manner examine other samples. Through 
such exercises as this, learn to detect the difference be- 
tween high grade and low grade seed. 

Questions 

1. Does it pay to buy low grade seed? Why not? 

2. How are seeds commonly cleaned? 

3. Should oats, wheat, and other large seeds be cleaned 
before they are used for seed? 

To the Teacher. — Some of the members of the class may 
be able to bring enough of two or three kinds of small farm 
seeds for this study. If not, buy some from a local mer- 
chant, or send to a seed dealer. See list, Exercise 8, Feb- 
ruary. 

Exercise 8 

DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS FROM AN ACRE OF LAND 

Object. — To learn how to find out how many pounds 
of total digestible nutrients an acre, sown to one of the 
few common crops, produces. 

Materials. — Table showing the amount of digestible 
nutrients in feeds. See table i in the Appendix. 

Procedure. — i. If the yields of crops indicated below 



DECEMBER 



97 



could be grown on one acre of land, which crop would 
produce the greatest amount of total digestible nutri- 
ents? 

2. To answer this question review Exercise 8, Sep- 
tember, and then fill out the following table : 



Crop 



Yield 
per 
Acre 



Lbs. 



Lbs. of 

Digestible 

Protein 



Lbs. of 
Digestible 

Carbo- 
hydrates 



Lbs. of 

Digestible 

Fat 



Total Lbs. 
of Diges- 
tible 
Nutrients 
(Fat X 2 1^) 



Alfalfa hay 
Red clover hay 
Timothy hay 
Corn silage 



6ooo 



I 



Questions 

1. Which of the crops mentioned above gives the largest 
amount of digestible nutrients per acre? 

2. Which crop gives the largest amount of protein per 
acre? 

3. Can you suggest what crops it would be most profitable 
to grow on a small dairy farm? 

To the Teacher. — Consult Exercise 8, September, for cal- 
culating "Total Pounds of Digestible Nutrients." This ex- 
ercise may be assigned for arithmetic work and the results 
discussed in the agriculture class. 



Exercise 9 

THE INFLUENCE OF DRAINAGE ON PLANT GROWTH 

Object. — To illustrate how the drainage of free water 
from the soil benefits plant growth. 

Explanation. — This is a class exercise. Assist in pre- 
paring the material. Describe each step under procedure 
in your notes. 



98 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Materials. — Four large empty tin cans. 

Procedure. — i. Fill two empty cans, without any holes 
in the bottom or sides, with a rich light garden soil and 
plant in each can ten wheat or oat grains. 

2. With a nail and hammer make eight or ten small 
holes in the bottoms of the other two tin cans and a 
few more holes around the sides of the cans near the 
bottoms. Fill these cans with the same soil as you did 
the first two cans. Plant the same number and the same 
kinds of kernels in each of these cans that you did in 
the others. 

3. Keep all the cans in a warm room, and about twice 
a week add exactly the same amount of water, ^ to 
I cupful, to each can. 

4. After three or four weeks, describe the results and 
account for the differences. 

Questions 

1. Why is good drainage necessary for the best growth 
of plants? 

2. How are wet fields generally drained? 

Exercise 10 

GRAIN SURVEY 

Object. — The object of this exercise is to find how 
much wheat, oats, barley, and rye are raised in the school 
district. 

Procedure. — i. The following outline is suggested for 
this survey: 



DECEMBER 



99 



GRAIN SURVEY 





Farmer 


Wheat 


Oats 


Barley 


Rye 




Acres 


Yield 


Acres 


Yield 


Acres 


Yield 


Acres 


Yield 


I. 

2. 

3. 

4- 

Etc. 






Bu. 




Bu. 




Bu. 




Bu. 



2. Copy this outline on the board and proceed with 
the survey as outlined in Exercise lo, October. 

3. Finally fill out the following suggested record for 
the totals of each crop. 



Wheat 



Oats 



Barley 



Rve 



Acres 

Yield 

Yield per Acre. 



4. How do the yields per acre of these crops in the 
district, compare with the yields of the same crops per 
acre in the county? In the state? Your state abstract 
from the U. S. census will give the average yields per 
acre of your county and your state. 



Project 1 

, KEEPING DAIRY FEED RECORDS 

Object. — To keep a feed record of one or more cows 
for a month. 

. Explanation. — With the work thus far outlined in 
feeding animals, Ex. 5 and 6 in October, and Ex. 5, 6, 7 
in November, it should not be difficult to figure the 
amount of the diflferent kinds of feed fed one or more 
cows in a month, and to ascertain the cost of the month's 
feed. 



100 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Preparation. — i. Find out simple ways of weighing 
the different feeds and provide milk scales or spring bal- 
ances for weighing the feed. 

2. Prepare simple record sheets for recording the 
weight of each kind of feed as suggested in Exercise 3 
of this month. 

Procedure. — i. When the feed is measured out for 
the animal, weigh it and record the weight of each kind 
of feed. See Exercise 3, December. 

2. It will not be necessary to weigh the feeds at each 
feeding, if the proportions remain the same, but when- 
ever a change is made, be sure to get the accurate 
weights of the changed feeds. 

3. Calculate the total amount of each kind of feed fed 
each animal during the month. 

4. Calculate the cost of each kind of feed for a 
month, using current prices. 

5. Get the total cost of the feed for each animal for a 
month. 

Reference.— S, R. S. Doc. 38: U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Farm Records 
and Accounts. 

Project 2 

TO KEEP MILK AND BUTTER FAT RECORDS OF THE HOME HERD 

Object. — To find out how much milk and how much 
butter fat each cow in the home herd produces in a 
month. 

Preparation. — i. Review Exercise 3 of this month. 

2. Prepare a milk record sheet as suggested in Exer- 
cise 3, and make preparations for weighing the milk. 



DECEMBER loi 

3. Review Exercise i of this month, and make prep- 
arations for sampling and testing the milk. 

Procedure. — i. Weigh the milk of each cow at each 
milking and record each weight in its proper place on the 
milk record sheet. 

2. On the fifteenth day of the month, take a sample 
of the mixed morning and evening milk of each cow in 
a bottle, and test this sample for the per cent of butter 
fat. Review Exercise i, December. Find out how 
much milk and how much butter fat each cow has pro- 
duced in the first half of the month. 

3. Repeat the work for the last half of the month. 

4. Determine the total records for the month. 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN DECEMBER 

A good laying flock. Well protected farm imple- 

A good producing herd. ments. 

The making of butter and How snow protects winter 

cheese. crops. 

A good swine house. Action of ice in forming soil 

particles. 



JANUARY 
Exercise 1 

HOW SEEDS GERMINATE 

Object. — To see how seeds germinate and begin to 
grow. 

Materials. — Two pie plates, two pieces of cloth, and 
about five kernels each of corn, wheat, oats and five bean 
seeds. 

Procedure. — i. Place several thicknesses of a clean 
and damp cloth in the bottom of one of the pie plates. 

2. Scatter a few of the four kinds of seeds over this, 
and cover with another plate. 

3. Set the plates aside in a warm place and keep the 
cloths moist. 

4. In about four or five days the seeds will begin to 
germinate. Study them and learn how they begin to 
grow. 

5. Draw bean seedlings in different stages of growth. 

6. Repeat 5 for corn or wheat. 

QUESTIONS 

1. Which of the seedlings studied would have had the 
most difficulty in breaking through the soil? 

2. Through what kind of a soil can beans break most 
easily, a light soil or a heavy soil? Why? 

102 



JANUARY 103 

To tin- Teacher. — Have the class do this work at home 
and bring the plates with the germinated seeds to school 
to study the results and to make drawings. 




ILLUSTRATING THE PLATE TESTER IN USE. — Courtesy Indiana Agricultural 
Experiment Station 

Exercise 2 

CANDLING EGGS 

Object. — To learn how to candle eggs and to be able 
to tell a bad egg. / 



104 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Materials. — An empty shoe box or a round Quaker 
Oats box, or a special egg tester. Lamp or Electric - 
light. 

Procedure. — i. Make an tgg tester as is shown in the 
cut. An empty shoe box or a round Quaker Oats box, 
which will fit over a lamp is all that is needed. Make 
several holes in the bottom of the box, to admit air. 
The hole in the side should be smaller than an tgg and 
on a level with the flame of the lamp. The top of the 
box should extend above the top of the chimney. An 
tgg tester from an incubator may take the place of the 
box. 

2. If electricity is available, an electric light may take 
the place of the lamp, and the bottom and top of the 
box may be air tight. 

3. Night is the best time to candle eggs. 

4. Spoiled eggs and eggs having blood spots will show 
dark masses in the region of the yolk. Good eggs will 
appear clear before the light. 

5. Practice candling fresh, stale, and bad eggs and 
thus learn to tell fresh and good eggs from stale and bad 
ones. 

Questions 

1. Why should eggs be tested? 

2. How can you tell a stale tgg from a fresh egg? 

3. Are eggs showing blood spots suitable for cooking 
purposes? 

To the Teacher. — Demonstrate to the class how to test 
eggs, so that they may be able to make practical use of this 
exercise at home. Testers coming with incubators may be 
used if available. 




105 



io6 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 3 

TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF LIME ON CLAY 

Object. — To see how lime causes fine soil particles to 
gather into small masses. 

Materials.- — Two glasses or large mouthed bottles. 
Samples' of clay or loam soil. Lime or lime water. 

Procedure. — i. Add one or two tablespoonsful of a 
clay or loam soil to each of two glasses or bottles of 
water. 

2. Stir or shake these well. Add a teaspoonful of 
powdered lime, or several tablespoonsful of limewater 
to one of the glasses or bottles and stir well. 

3. What difference do you see in the way the soil 
particles settle, and the way the liquids clear up? 

4. The lime causes the particles of clay in the soil to 
form into tiny clusters and these settle more readily. 
The process of forming these particles is called floccula- 
tion. Clay soils are greatly improved by lime. The 
clustering of the particles makes the soil more porous, 
and this is a benefit both because it allows air and water 
to enter the soil more readily, and because it tends to 
keep the soil from baking, and, therefore, makes the 
soil more suitable for plant growth. 

Questions 

1. For what purpose is lime usually added to soils? 

2. What class of crops are most benefited by lime? 

Exercise 4 

RISE OF WATER IN SOILS 

Object. — To show how water rises in different kinds 
of soil and in soil materials. 



JANUARY 



107 



Explanation. — This is a class exercise in which the 
entire class should assist. Each member of the class 
should follow the outline when writing up the experi- 
ment. 

Materials. — About six tall lamp chimneys, cheese cloth, 
sand, fine gravel, and samples of different classes of 
soils. Frame to hold the lamp chimneys. 




DEVICE SHOWING THE MOVEMENT OF WATER IN SOIL. CourtCSy U. S. Depart' 

nient of Agriculture 



Procedure. — i. Assist in making a rack as illustrated 
in the picture, to hold five or six lamp chimneys. 

2. Tie a piece of cheese cloth over the end of each 
chimney. 

3. Fill one chimney with fine gravel, one with sand, 
and the others v^th different classes of soils, all air 
dried. 

4. Place the chimneys, cheese cloth end downward, in 
the rack so that the lower end of each chimney sinks 



io8 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

about one inch into a pan of water or into a glass of 
water under each. 

5. Note the difference in the rate and extent of rise 
in each chimney for one hour, two hours, four hours, 
and a day. Record the resuUs in tabular form. 

6. How do you account for the differences in the rate 
and extent of the upward movement? 

7. This upward movement is due to capillary attrac- 
tion and we commonly speak of the rise of the water 
as capillary rise. 

Exercise 5 

HOW TOO MUCH VEGETABLE MATTER CHECKS CAPILLARY RISE 
OF WATER 

Object. — To show how a layer of vegetable matter 
separating two layers of soil checks the capillary rise 
of water. 

Explanation. — This exercise should be worked by the 
class as a whole, each pupil assisting the teacher in get- 
ting the materials ready. Each member of the class 
should write up the experiment, and answer the ques- 
tions. 

Materials. — Same as used in previous experiment and 
a handful of cut straw or hay. 

Procedure. — i. Fill one chimney again with soil simi- 
lar to that used in the previous experiment in which 
the water rose to the top. 

2. Fill another half full with the same soil and then 
put in a handful of cut straw or hay to make a layer 
about I inch thick. Upon this, pour enough of the 



JANUARY 109 

soil to fill the chimney. Set both chimneys in water as 
before. 

3. Note the difference in the extent of the rise of the 
water in the two chimneys. 

4. What may be the effect upon a field of plowing 
under too much grass or undecayed vegetable matter ? 

Questions 

1. What would happen in 2, under Procedure, if the 
vegetable matter and soil were well mixed? 

2. Describe instances when a farmer may plow under 
too much vegetable matter. 

Exercise 6 

TO SHOW HOW SOIL WATER ENTERS THE ROOTS OF PLANTS 

Object. — To illustrate the process of osmosis, or how 
soil water enters the roots of plants. 

Explanation. — Two or three pupils working together 
should be able to set up the materials for this exercise. 
Each pupil should follow the outline in writing up the 
experiment. This process may also be illustrated by 
putting a slice of a potato into salt water and another 
slice into clear water. Here the movement in and out 
of the potato is illustrated. 

Materials. — i. Lamp chimney, Mason jar, skin of a 
Bologna sausage, and a thick solution of molasses. 

Procedure. — i. Remove the contents of a link of 
Bologna sausage, being careful not to rupture the skin. 
Soak the skin in water a few minutes to remove all the 
meat particles. 



no LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

2. Tie a piece of the skin tightly over the small end 
of the lamp chimney (as shown in the illustration). 

Pour water into the chim- 
ney to test how securely 
you have fastened the skin. 
It should not leak. 

3. Empty the chimney 
of water and half fill it 
with a thick solution of 
molasses, and place the 
chimney in a Mason jar 
nearly filled with water. 

4. Set the apparatus to 
one side and note the rapid- 
ity and height to which the 
liquid rises in the chimney. 

5. The passage of wa- 
ter through the skin into 
the molasses is called osmo- 
sis. Soil water enters the 

roots of plants by the process of osmosis. (Your physi- 
ology book may explain this process.) 




DEVICE 

Cour 
ment 



SHOWING OSMOSIS. — 



esy Massai 
of Agriculti 



Questions 

1. What would happen if the molasses solution were in 
the jar and the clear water were in the chimney? 

2. Would plants absorb water from a soil in which there 
was an over-abundance of soluble plant food? 



JANUARY 



III 



Exercise 7 



PLANT FOOD REMOVED BY CROPS 



Object. — To learn to be able to find out how many 
pounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are taken 
by crops from the soil when a crop is harvested. 

Materials. — Table showing the amount of plant food 
contained in farm crops. See Table 2, Appendix. 

Procedure. — i. Let us assume that during a period 
of four years we are harvesting from one acre of land 
the four crops mentioned in the following: 





POUNDS OF PLANT FOOD REMOVED PER ACRE 












Nitrogen 
Removed 


Phos- 


Potas- 


Value of 




Crop 


Yield 


Weight 


phorus 


sium 


Plant 












Removed 


Removed 


Food 








Lbs. 


Lbs. 


Lbs. 


Lbs. 




I 


Corn 


50 bu. 












2 


Com stover 


i}4 tons 












3 


Total 














4 


Wheat 


20 bu. 












5 


Wheat straw 


I ton 












6 


Total 














7 


Clover hay- 


I Vo tons 












8 


Timothy hay 


I ton 













2. Determine the weight of these crops in pounds 
and, with the aid of Table 2 in the Appendix, determine 
the amount of plant food removed by each crop. Make 
no charge for nitrogen in the clover crop because it is 
assumed that the nitrogen it contains comes indirectly 
from the air in the soil by the action of bacteria. 

3. Find the cost of each element of plant food re- 
moved by each crop, assuming that a pound of nitrogen 
is worth 20 cents, a pound of phosphorus 6 cents, and a 
pound of potassium 10 cents. Record your results in 
the last column. 



112 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

4. Which crop removed the most plant food? 

5. How can this amount of plant food be returned 
to the soil? 

Questions 

1. Is it necessary to put plant food back into the soil? 

2. What would ultimately be the result if no plant food 
were put back into the soil? 

3. What materials do farmers in your community add to 
the soil to replace the plant food removed? 

4. What is the approximate cost of a pound of each of 
these three elements in a complete fertilizer. (Find out 
from a local fertilizer dealer.) 

To the Teacher. — This is a good practical problem in 
arithmetic involving the use of a table. Assign the exer- 
cise for arithmetic work and discuss the results in the ag- 
riculture class. 

Exercise 8 



PLANT FOOD ADDED TO SOILS 

Object. — To learn to be able to find out how much 
plant food is added to an acre of land. 

Materials. — Table showing the amount of plant food 
in manure and in commercial fertiHzers. See Tables 2 
and 3 in Appendix. 

Procedure. — i. Let us assume that a farmer adds 10 
tons of average farm manure and 400 lbs. of phosphate 
rock to an acre of land in four years. How much plant 
food is added? Complete the following table. Refer to 
Tables 2 and 3 in the Appendix. 



JANUARY 113 



POUNDS 


OF PLANT FOOD ADDED PER ACRE 


Material 


Nitrogen 


Phosphorus 


Potassium 


10 tons manure 


Lbs. 


Lbs. 


Lbs. 


400 lbs. phos. rock 




Total added 









2. Does the amount of plant food added equal that 
removed in the four years of cropping in the previous 
exercise ? 

3. Below are given the important factors necessary 
for the maintenance of soil fertility: 

1. Raise live stock 

2. Rotate the crops 

3. Grow clover, alfalfa and 
other legumes 

4. Save the barnyard manure 

5. Pasture rolling lands to pre- 
vent washing 

6. Add humus — don't burn 
the stalks 

7. Supply needed elements. 

■ — International Harvester Co. 

In place of the elements of plant food nitrogen, N, phosphorus, P, and 
potassium, K, the term ammonia NH3, "phosphoric acid" P0O5, and potash 
K2O, are often used. These last three substances are simple compounds 
containing elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. To change: — 

Nitrogen to Ammonia, multiply by 1.2 

Phosphorus to "phosphoric acid" multiply by 2.3 

Potassium to potash, multiply by 1.2. 

Exercise 9 

CROP ROTATIONS 

Object. — To make an outline of a number of crop 
rotations. 



114 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Explanation. — 

WHY CROP ROTATION IS PROFITABLE 

1. Helps maintain soil fertility 

2. Improves physical condition of soil 

3. Combats weeds, insects and 
plant diseases 

4. Prevents washing of soil 

5. Furnishes a variety of feed 

6. Distributes farm work 
throughout the year 

7. Leads to live stock farming 

8. Insures against crop failure 

9. Means living on the farm. 








'>M:'' 



Seeded to Clover Clover ,\^ ^ lllued tidifl^ ^ ACult VdledCrop l( 



A COMMON FOUR YEAR ROTATION 

Field First Year Second Year ' Third Year Fourth Year 

A Clover Mixed Hay Corn Small Gram 

B Mixed hay Corn Small grain Clover 

C Corn Small grain Clover Mixed hay 

D Small grain Clover Mixed hay Corn 

Courtesy Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station 

Procedure. — i. An outline for a common three year 
rotation of corn, oats, and clover is: — 



oats 


clov( 


clover 


corn 


corn 


oats 



JANUARY 115 

Field A. Field B. Field C. 

First year corn 

Second year oats 

Third year clover 

2. Make a similar outline for a four year rotation. 

3. For a five year rotation. 

4. Make an outline of some of the rotations prac- 
ticed in your community. 

Questions 

1. How does the rotation of crops help in maintaining 
soil fertility? 

2. How does crop rotation improve the physical condition 
of the soil? 

3. How does the rotation of crops combat weeds, insects, 
and plant diseases? 

Exercise 10 

FARM CROP BOOKLET 

Object. — To make an il- 
lustrated booklet describing 
the common farm crops of 
the community. 

Materials — An old seed 
catalog. 

Procedure. — i. Read again 
Exercise 9, October, "Poul- 
try Booklet.*' Follow these 
directions, making them 
applicable to a farm crop 
booklet. Cut your illustra- 
tions from an old seed cata- ^^^p^^ ^f good agricttltural 

1/-xrt- T^^^rr^4^^ ^^^ r^^ + ,„ ^ BOOKLETS. — Couvtesy Interna- 

log. Devote one or t V^ O tional Harvester Co. 




Ii6 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

pages to each crop, and include all the important crops 
of the community. 

Exercise 11 

SILO SURVEY 

Object. — To find out how many silos there are in the 
school district. 

Procedure. — i. Read Exercise ii in September and 
Exercise lo in October. Follow the same general direc- 
tions and gather the data suggested below, in making 
the silo survey. 



SILO SURVEY 

School District No Town of. . 

Date 



Co. 



Name of Farmer 


Kind 
of silo 


Diameter 

ft. 


Height 
ft. 


Capacity 
in tons 


Acres 

required 

to fill 


X. 
2. 
3. 













Project 1 

CHECKING UP THE HOME HERD 

Object. — To find out the value of the milk which the 
cows of a herd are producing in a period of six months 
or a year, to find out the cost of the feed fed to these 
cows during this same period, and finally, to find out the 
profit each cow is making over the cost of her feed. 

Explanation. — ^In this project we are going to try to 
do exactly what a cow testing association does. There 
are two parts to the project, keeping the milk and butter 
fat records, and keeping the feed records. The work 
of these parts has been explained in Exercise 3, De- 
cember. 



JANUARY 117 

Preparation. — i. Study Exercise i, December, again. 

2. Learn how to keep feed and milk records. 

3. If possible, study the records of a member of a 
cow testing association. Get a milk weighing scales for 
weighing the milk and feed. 

4. Make the feed and milk record sheets. See Exer- 
cise 3, December. 

5. Tack these up in a convenient place. 
Procedure. — i. Weigh the milk of each cow at each 

milking and record the weight in the proper place on 
the milk sheet. 

2. Find out what the daily ration for each cow is and 
record this on the feed sheet. Get the current price 
of each feed to make the proper charges. 

3. Once or twice a month, test the milk, and deter- 
mine the amount of fat each cow has produced, as sug- 
gested in Project 2, December. Keep posted on the 
selling price of milk or cream. With these figures, find 
the value of each cow's milk product for each month. 

4. Determine, monthly, the cost of feed per cow. 
Keep posted on the market value of feeds. See Project 
I, December. 

5. Determine the profit over the cost of feed per cow 
for each month, also the profit over the cost of feed for 
each cow for the entire period. See Exercise 3, De- 
cember. 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN JANUARY 

Silos and silage Care of farm manure 

Ventilating systems in barns Wind breaks 

Commercial tgg candling A cow tester at work 
Wintering of beehives 



FEBRUARY 
Exercise 1 

WATER CAPACITY OF SOILS 

Object. — To show that different classes of soils vary 
in the amounts of water they can hold and that decayed 
vegetable matter increases a soil's power to hold water. 

Explanation. — This is an exercise to be worked by the 
class as a whole. Each member of the class is supposed 
to assist in getting the apparatus ready and to help in the 
working of the experiment. Each member, also, should 
briefly write up an account of the experiment, fill out the 
table, and answer the questions. 

Materials. — Samples of sand, loam soil, clay soil, leaf 
mold or peat, five tin cans, a spring balance, a nail, and 
a hammer. 

Procedure. — i. With a nail and hammer punch 8 to lo 
small holes in the bottom of each of the five tin cans. 
Also punch two holes in the tops on opposite sides. Run 
a strong string between these top holes, that you may 
be able to weigh the can. You may, in this exercise, use 
the lamp chimneys used in Exercise 4, January, in place 
of the tin cans if desired. 

2. Weigh each can with a spring balance. Record 
the weight in the tabulated suggested form. After 
weighing, fill each can two-thirds full, respectively, with 

118 



FEBRUARY 



119 



sand, loam soil, clay soil, leaf mold or peat, and with 
one-half sand and half leaf mold or peat, and weigh each 
again. Record weights. 

3. Add water to each can until its contents are thor- 
oughly wet. Allow all the free water to drain off ; then 
weigh each can again. Record weights. 



1. Weight of can 

2. Weight of can and soil 

3. Weight of soil 

4. Weight of both with water. . 

5. Weight of water retained .... 

6. Per cent, of water retained . . 



Sand 



Loam 



Clay 



Peat 



Sand 
and 
Peat 



5. Which material held the most water? What was 
the per cent of increase in the amount of water held 
when peat or leaf mold was added to the sand? Would 
manure increase the water capacity of a soil? 



Exercise 2 

DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF WATER IN SOILS 

Object. — To Study the rate of the downward movement 
of water in soils and to show how this can be increased 
and decreased. 

Explanation. — This is a class exercise. Each mem- 
ber should assist in getting the apparatus ready, and in 
performing the experiment. Also, each pupil in the class 
should write up briefly the experiment, copy the table, in- 
sert the obtained data, and answer the questions. 

Materials. — Five lamp chimneys used in Exercise 4, 
January, or five tin cans used in the previous exercise. 
Sand, loam, clay, peat or leaf mold. 



120 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Procedure. — i. If lamp chimneys are used, tie a piece 
of cheese cloth over the lower end of each. Fill the 
five lamp chimneys about four-fifths full, respectively, 
with sand, loam, clay; one-half sand and half peat or 
leaf mold ; and one-half clay and one-half peat. Where 
two kinds of materials are used in one chimney mix the 
substances well before putting them into the chimney. 

2. Fill the lamp chimneys with water and note the 
amount of time it takes for the water to pass through 
each material. Record resulfs in tabulated form. 



Material 



Time 



Material 



Time 



Sand 

Loam 

Clay 



Sand and peat 
Clay and peat 



3. Why does water move most rapidly through the 
sand? 

4. Why does it move most slowly through the clay? 

5. What was the effect of adding peat or leaf mold 
to the sand? To the clay? Can this be done by a 
farmer as a practical measure? How? 



Exercise 3 

MOISTURE AND SOIL TEMPERATURE 

Object. — To show that when moisture is evaporating 
from *a substance, its temperature is lower than that 
of a similar substance which is dry. 

Explanation. — This is a demonstrational exercise. It 
is to be performed by the class as a whole. Each pupil 



FEBRUARY 121 

should assist in conducting the experiments. Each pupil 
should take notes, and should write up the experiment, 
answering all questions. 

Materials. — Two thermometers, a drinking glass, two 
jars of soil, a piece of cheese cloth. 

Procedure. — i. Take a piece of cheese cloth about 
four inches square. Roll this around the lower end of 
a thermometer so that about one inch projects up around 
the bulb. Tie the cloth to the thermometer. 

2. Hang the thermometer over a glass of water in 
such a manner that the cloth reaches into the water and 
the bulb is a little above it. 

3. Let another ordinary thermometer hang near the 
first one but outside of the glass. 

4. In about 30 minutes read both thermometers and 
take the temperature of the water. 

5. Why is the wet bulb thermometer colder than the 
air and the water? 

6. Put a thermometer in a jar of wet soil and one in 
a jar of similar dry soil. After an hour read the ther- 
mometers. Results ? 

Questions 

1. How would you expect the temperature of low wet 
soils to compare with that of dry upland soils in a field? 

2. What kinds of soils are best suited for the production 
of early crops? 

3. Would clay and sandy upland soils, similarly located, 
have the same temperature ? 



122 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 4 

INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF TOO MUCH FERTILIZER 

Object. — To see what will happen when too much 
commercial fertilizer is added to growing plants. 

Explanation. — This exercise is not to be performed 
individually, but by the class as a whole. Each member 
of the class should write up the experiment and answer 
the questions. 

Materials. — Three large flower pots, or large tin cans 
with six or eight small holes punched in the bottoms and 
around the sides near the bottoms. Loam soil, oats. 

Procedure. — i. Thoroughly mix enough soil to fill the 
three flower pots or tin cans. Have the soil moist. 
Fill the three pots or cans with this soil to within one, 
inch of the tops. 

2. Plant eight or ten grains of oats in each of the 
three pots or cans. Water and set aside in a warm place. 
Keep the soil moist. 

3. When the oats are about three inches high, add 
merely a pinch of some complete commercial fertilizer 
to one pot at each watering. To the second add a table- 
spoonful of the fertilizer. Add nothing to the third. 

4. After two or three weeks note and describe the 
results as illustrated by the growth in each pot. 

5. What was the effect of adding too much fertilizer? 
How do you account for this ? See Exercise 6, January. 

Questions 

I. If 1,000 lbs. of a commercial fertilizer were added to 
an acre of soil seven inches deep, the estimate weight of 



FEBRUARY 123 

which is two million lbs., how much fertilizer at the same 
rate would need to be added to the soil in the flower pot? 

2. Are commercial fertilizers used in the community? 
What kinds? 

3. Where are commercial fertilizers extensively used? 
Why? 

4. Are all soils benefited by the same kind of commer- 
cial fertilizers? 

Exercise 5 

ACTION OF ACIDS ON LIMESTONE 

Object. — To study the action of acids such as vinegar 
or lemon juice, on limestone, marble, and old plaster. 

Materials. — Acid, vinegar, or lemon ; limestone, mar- 
ble, or old plaster ; and drinking glasses. 

Procedure. — i. Put a piece of limestone, marble, or 
old plaster in a glass or a piece of each in three different 
glasses, if you have them, and add a little acid to each. 
Try the same, adding instead of the acid, vinegar or 
lemon. 

. 2. Does the solution bubble? The gas given off is 
carbon dioxide and this shows that the material was a 
carbonate. 

3. Repeat, using tablespoonfuls of different samples of 
soil, instead of the limestone marble or plaster. Re- 
sults? When a soil gives oif bubbles, on the addition 
of an acid, it is a sign that it is not sour, because the 
bubbling shows the presence of a carbonate and a car- 
bonate wall neutralize or destroy any acid in the soil. 

4. Try the test at home with some of the soil from 
your farm. 



124 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Questions 

1. Why do farmers add ground limestone to their soils? 

2. Do the farmers in your community lime their soils? 

3. What is considered a good application of ground lime- 
stone per acre? 



Exercise 6 

STUDY OF A MOLD 

Object. — To become acquainted with the dififerent 
parts of a mold and to see how molds produce spores. 

Explanation. — This exercise should be worked at 
home by each member of the class. If the school has 
a microscope, one or two pupils should bring the mold 
to school for microscopic study. 

Molds and mold-like plants, such as the blight, mil- 
dew, smut, and rust are fungi. The plant bodies of 
these fungi consist usually of many thread-like, branch- 
ing cells. These cells spread out over and down into 
the substances upon which they grow. In the smuts 
and rusts the cells are entirely within the plants upon 
which the fungi grow. These fungous plants produce 
milHons of very small, powder-like spores, easily carried 
by the wind. Each spore is capable of developing into 
a plant like the one which produced it, wherever the 
conditions are favorable. This group of fungous plants 
do many milHons of dollars worth of damage each year 
in destroying food and crops. 

Materials. — A drinking glass, a saucer, blotting paper, 
bread, and bread crumbs. 

Procedure. — i. Cut two or three thicknesses of blot- 



FEBRUARY 125 

ting paper to fit the bottom of the saucer. Moisten the 
paper and put it in the bottom of the saucer. 

2. From some bread, three or four days old, cut a 
piece about two inches square and two inches high. 
Moisten this with warm water and place it on the blot- 
ting paper in the saucer. 

3. Sprinkle a few fine bread crumbs, taken from the 
bread box, over the piece of bread in the saucer, and 
cover the piece of bread with a glass tumbler. 

4. Set the saucer in a warm place and examine it 
from day to day. When the blotting paper looks dry 
add a little water to it to keep it moist. 

5. After a week or so you will notice a growth of 
very slender white threads forming on the bread. This 
is the growing mold and the mass corresponds to the 
root, stem, and leaves of higher plants. 

6. A few days later little round black balls should be 
seen on the outer ends of some of the thread-like struc- 
tures. These black balls are the spore cases and contain 
many little spores. In time the spore cases will become 
so numerous as to give the mold a black color. 

7. If the school has a microscope, mount some of the 
spore cases on a glass slide and examine them. De- 
scribe what you see. Make a few drawings. 

Exercise 7 

STARCH IN SEEDS 

Object. — To test seeds for starch. 
Materials. — Alcohol lamp, iodine solution, various 
seeds, test tubes. 



126 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Procedure. — i. Cut each of four or five kernels of 
corn into two or three pieces. Place these in a test 
tube containing a little water. 

2. Heat the contents of the test tube for a few min- 
utes ; then slowly add a few drops of iodine solution. 

3. If enough iodine solution is added, the liquid in 
the tube will turn blue. The blue color obtained by means 
of the iodine solution is a test for starch. 

4. Test other seeds and substances for starch in a 
similar manner. 

Questions 

1. What other foodstuffs are found in seeds? How 
could you make a test for these? (See Chapter 13, "An In- 
troduction to Agriculture," or consult a physiology text book.) 

2. What seeds are commonly used to make starch? 

3. What seeds contain much oil? Protein? See Table 
2, Appendix, in "An Introduction to Agriculture," or Henry 
and Morrison's "Feeds and Feeding." 

To the Teacher. — For 5 cents any druggist will sell you a 
small bottle of a solution of iodine to use in this exercise. 

Exercise 8 

STUDY OF A SEED CATALOG 

Object. — To get familiar with the names of the good 
varieties of the common vegetables. 

Materials. — Vegetable seed catalogs. 

Procedure. — i. On the extreme left hand side of a 
sheet of your note book paper, write in a vertical column 
the names of all the kinds of vegetables grown in the 
home garden last year. If necessary, get your parents 
to help you complete the list. 



FEBRUARY 127 

2. Add to the list names of other common vegetables 
that may be planted in your garden. 

3. Study a seed catalog and determine the names 
of one or two good varieties of each of the vegetables 
you have on your list. Write the names of these varie- 
ties to the right and on the same lines with the names 
of the vegetables. If there are early and late varieties, 
list them as suggested. 

1. Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefield; Flat Dutch, late. 

2. Peas, Nott's Excelsior, early ; Improved Stratagem, 

main crop. 

4. Take the list and the catalog home. Discuss the 
list with your parents. Make changes if suggested. 

5. Keep the list for use in Exercise 2, March. 

To the Teacher. — Take one vegetable at a time and let the 
pupils look up in the seed catalogs the descriptions of the 
different varieties. The class should then decide which va- 
rieties are best adapted to the soil and the climate of the 
community. 

Send to your nearest seed merchants for enough seed 
catalogs to supply the class, or, better still, let each member 
of the class send for one. 

These firms issue good catalogs : Northrup and King, 
Minneapolis, Minn. ; Vaughan's Seed Store, Chicago, 111. ; 
W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; Peter Henderson 
& Co., New York City, N. Y. 

Exercise 9 

ORIGIN OF BREEDS OF CATTLE 

Object. — To draw a map to show where the different 
breeds of cattle originated. 



128 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Materials. — Geography. 

Procedure. — i. From your geography, copy a small 
map of northwestern Europe. This map should show 
Switzerland, Holland, Channel Islands, and Great 
Britain. 

2. On this map, shade those places, or portions of 
places, where the following breeds of cattle originated: 





Dairy Breeds 




Holstein 




Ayrshire 


Jersey 




Dutch Belted 


Guernsey 


Meat Breeds 


Brown Swiss 


Shorthorns 




Galloway 


Herefords 




Aberdeen-Angus 



3. Briefly discuss the origin of each breed mentioned 
above. 

4. A similar map showing the origin of the breeds of 
horses may be made. 

To the Teacher. — This would be a good exercise to add 
to Exercise 9, November, "Making a Dairy Cattle Booklet." 

References.— F. B. 612: Breeds of Beef Cattle. F. B. 893: Breeds 
of Dairy Cattle. "An Introduction to Agriculture," Chapter 23. Breeds of 
Light Horses, F. B. 952. Breeds of Draft Horses, F. B. 619. 

Exercise 10 

LEADING ALFALFA GROWING STATES 

Object. — To make a map showing the states leading in 
the production of alfalfa. 

Materials. — Outline map of the United States, Agri- 
cultural Yearbook. 

Procedure. — i. Enumerate in a tabular form the ten 



FEBRUARY 



129 



states leading in the production of alfalfa. Consult the 
latest Agricultural Yearbook. 



State 



Acreage Total Yield Yield per Acre 



GOODC'S SERIES OF BASE MAPS. No. 10 




2. On an outline map of the United States shade these 
states and write in each the total acreage of alfalfa. 

3. Discuss the map. 

4. A similar exercise may be devoted to any of the 
other crops grown in the community. 

Questions 

1. Why is more alfalfa grown in western than in eastern 
states ? 

2. Why is alfalfa an important crop to grow? 



130 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 11 

RAISING SEEDLINGS IN FLATS 

Object. — To learn how to raise plants in shallow plant 
boxes or flats. 

Materials. — A number of flats of shallow plant boxes 
2 to 3 inches deep, measuring 12 x 18 inches. Rich 
garden soil, sand, and seeds, coarse and fine sieves, fine 
gravel, or cinders. 



A FLAT WITH SEEDLINGS. WHY NOT RAISE YOUR OWN PLANTS? CoUVtesy 

U. S. Department of Agriculture 

Explanation. — Many greenhouse men sow all the seed 
for early plants in flats or shallow plant boxes. These 
flats are then placed on the benches in the greenhouse or 
in the hotbeds. Flats are easily carried about; they 
make the sowing and transplanting easy, are of great 
convenience in taking the plants to the field or to the 
market. Flats are also used in planting seeds in the 
house or cellar for early plants. 

Procedure. — i. Spread a layer of fine gravel or sifted 
cinders y^ inch deep in the bottom of the flats to aid 
in draining ofif free water. 



FEBRUARY 131 

2. Mix good garden soil with a little coarse sand until 
the soil is light and crumbly. Add water to the mixture 
to get it moist. 

3. Run this through a 34 inch sieve and fill the flat 
with the sifted soil. Slightly press the soil in the flat 
with a piece of 2 x 4. 

4. Run some of the sifted soil through a finer sieve 
made of window screening and almost fill the box with 
the fine soil. Level this with a scraper. 

5. Make little furrows ^g to Ya- inch deep about two 
inches apart. In these sow the seeds about ten to an inch. 

6. Cover lightly the seeds. Press the soil and sprinkle 
with a fine spray, being careful not to wash out the seeds. 

7. Set the flats in a warm, light place, and keep the soil 
moist. 




FLAT, OR TRAY, FOR EARLY SOWING OR FOR TRANSPLANTING, WITH MARKER 
FOR MAKING HOLES IN THE SOIL INTO WHICH THE SEEDLINGS ARE SET. — 

Courtesy U. S. Department of Agriculture 

8. When the plants have their second leaves or about 
four weeks after the seeds were planted, thin them to 
stand about two inches each way. 

9. Plant those plants you have removed in other flats. 
(Read Exercise 4 in May.) 

References. — F. B. 8i8: The Small Vegetable Garden. Any vegetable 
garden book. 



132 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 12 

ORCHARD SURVEY 

Object. — To make an orchard survey of the school 
district. 

Procedure. — i. The following is a suggested outline 
for an orchard survey of the school district. 



Orchard Survey 



School District No. 



Town of. 



Co. 



Date. 



I. 

2. 

3. 

Etc. 



Farmer 



Number 

of apple 

trees 



Yield in 
bushels 
last year 



Number 
of cherry- 
trees 



Yield in 
bushels 
last year 



Spraying 



2. To the list given above may be added other fruit 
trees if they are common to the community. 

3. For general directions in gathering the information, 
see Exercise 11, September. 

4. In column headed spraying, state whether or not 
orchard was sprayed. 

Project 1 

RAISING FLOWER SEEDLINGS 



Object. — To raise flower seedlings for home use. 
Explanation. — Any boy or girl who loves flowers can 



FEBRUARY 133 

grow many of them by starting the plants indoors late 
in February, or early in March. 

Preparation. — i. Make a study of seed boxes or flats. 
Try to see some. 

2. Make a study of the best soil for seed boxes and 
of how this is mixed. 

3. What common flowers should be started indoors 
at this time of the year? 

4. Where are good places in which to keep the seed 
boxes? How often should they be watered? 

5. When should the plants be transplanted? 

6. Read Exercise 11, February, and Exercise 4, May. 
Operation. — i. Order the seeds. 

2. Make the seed boxes. 

3. Prepare the soil and fill the flats. 

4. Sow the seeds, water the soil. 

5. Take proper care of the plants. Transplant to 
proper intervals. 

6. Sell surplus plants. 

7. Keep accurate account of all your time and ex- 
penses and determine the cost of raising the seedlings. 

References. — "An Introduction to Agriculture," Chapter 17. Any vege- 
table garden book. F. B. 255: The Home Vegetable Garden. F. B. 818: 
The Small Vegetable Garden. 

Project 2 

RAISING VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS 

Object. — To raise vegetable seedlings for the home 
garden. 

Explanation. — Any boy or girl in the upper grades 
should be able to raise tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, 



134 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

head lettuce and other seedHngs for the home garden. 
This may be done in seed boxes or in hot beds, or better 
still, by a combination of both these methods. 

Preparation. — 1-5. Review articles 1-5 in previous 
project. 



HE ^x 


9HHHEIH^'M^K^I 


^^■^^^„.,,^§ap^*ta«4.« 





SMALL SEEDLINGS TRANSPLANTED INTO PAPER BANDS. — Courtcsy Indiana Agri- 
cultural Experiment Station 

6. Make a study of hot beds and cold frames. Decide 
which you want to use. 

Operation. — 1-6. Review the similar articles on the 
previous project. 

References. — See previous exercise. 



THINGS TO OBSERVE IN FEBRUARY 



The scales covering buds 
The buds of some common 

trees 
How frost helps in soil for- 
mation 



Common blemishes on horses 
The birds that stay with us 

all winter 
How some animals spend the 

winter. 



MARCH 
Exercise 1 

TESTING SEED CORN 

Object. — To learn how to test seed corn. 
Explanation. — Why seed corn should be tested. 

Testing enables one to discard weak and dead 

ears. 
Weak and dead seed means a poor stand. 
A poor stand means a poor crop. 
To plant a dead ear means 500 to 700 missing 

stalks. 
It is only good business to know what we are 

planting. 
Like tends to produce like. 

If we want good corn we must plant good corn. 
We cannot guess how corn will grow. 
Testing shows how the corn will grow. 

Materials. — Seed corn testers, muslin, sawdust, corn. 

A. Sawdust Box Method 

Procedure. — i. From any old lumber make a box 4 
inches deep and 19 inches wide and 24 inches long, 
inside measurements. The bottom boards should be 
y% of an inch apart to permit good drainage. This box 
will be large enough to test 48 ears of corn. A box 
30 X 30 inches will test 100 ears. 

135 



136 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 




TACKING TliK .MARKl.l) (I.OTII FIRMLY OVER 
THE SAWDUST TO THE CORNERS OF THE 

TESTER. — Courtesy International Harves- 
ter Co. 



2. Half fill the box with clean sawdust which has been 
thoroughly soaked in hot water. Pack this firmly and 
level the surface. 

3. Take a piece of 
firm muslin. Mark 
ofif on it, with a soft 
pencil, 48 two and 
one-half inch squares 
and leave a two inch 
margin on all four 
sides. Number the 
squares i to 48. Wet 
this muslin and tack 
it at the four corners of the box so as to hold the cloth 
tightly in place, so that the corn will not be disturbed. 

4. Number 48 ears 
of corn, or place them 
so that you can keep 
track of the number 
of each ear. Take 
six kernels from ear 
one, two from near 
the top, two from the 
center, and two from 
near the bottom, and 
place these in square 
I. Have the germ 
sides up and all the 
tips pointing in one direction. Continue this with all 48 
ears. 

5. Cover the kernels with another piece of moistened 




COVERING THE KERNELS WITH THE SECOND 
CLOTH. IT, TOO, SHOULD BE TACKED TO 

THE TESTER. — Courtesy International 
Harvester Co. 



MARCH 



137 




SPREADING THE LARGE CLOTH OVER 
THE TESTER TO HOLD THE TOP 

LAYER OF SAWDUST. — Courtesy In- 
ternational Harvester Co. 



muslin and tack this in the 
four corners. 

6. Over this place still 
another piece of muslin 
large enough to overlap by 
10 inches on all four sides 
of the box. Pour into this 
cloth enough moistened 
sawdust to fill the box. 
Pack the sawdust and turn 
in the ends of the cloth. 

7. Keep the box in a 
warm room and raise it 
about an inch at one end 
so that the tip of the kernels point downward. 

8. After seven or eight days, remove the cloth with 
the sawdust, then carefully remove the second cloth, and 

record the results of 
the test. 

9. Write numbers 
from I to 48 on a 
sheet of paper, and 
after each number, 
write figures such as 
6-0-0, 0-6-0, or 0-0-6, 
the first figure in- 
dicating the number 
of strong kernels, the 
second, the number 
of the weak ones, 

CLOTH OVER THE TOP LAYER OF SAWDUST. J ,1 4-1, ,V ,4 i-Ua 

—Courtesy International Harvester Co. aUQ tnc imro, mC 




FOLDING THE PROJECTIONS OF THE LARGE 
CLOTH OVER THE TOP LAYER OF SAWDUST. 



138 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

dead ones. Only the ears testing 6-0-0 should be used 
for seed. 





■j%t 


\^ 


w 


— 


1^^^^ 


t//v^ ■ ^ 




-y\ 


^,^'^A 


m 


Ski^ ' p 


K 


i 


\^iy7Y% 


• I 


s^^iuhr 


-% 


'^m, 


■Hi^i^l 


I 


' i '^ 


'1 






1^ , 1/ 


mi 





WHAT A PORTION OF THE TESTER LOOKS LIKE AFTER THE CORN IS UNCOV- 
ERED. DID IT, IN THIS CASE, PAY TO TEST THE CORN? Coiirtesy WiscOtlsiu 

Agricultural Experiment Station 



Questions 

1. What is gained by testing shelled seed corn? 

2. Which kind of seed corn is the better to buy, ear corn 
or shelled corn? 

3. Why should the cloths and sawdust be scalded the 
second time the tester is used? 



B. The Rag Doll Method 

Procedure. — i. Procure a piece of well washed, tightly- 
woven muslin about 10 inches wide and 28 inches long. 



MARCH 



139 



In the center of this, mark off ten 2^ inch squares, five 
on a side. This will leave a 2)^ inch margin at each 
side, and a 7%-inch margin at each end. Number the 
squares from i to 10. 

2. Arrange 10 ears of corn so that you can keep track 
of the numbers. Place 6 kernels from ear i in square i, 




ROLLING UP A RAG DOLL TESTER. — Couvtesy Uuivcrsity of Wisconsin 



tips pointing to one side and germs sides up. Continue 
this for the ten ears. 

3. Place two handfuls of soaked sawdust on the lower 
end of the cloth and roll up the cloth loosely. 

4. Tie a string around each end and around the 
center. Make an arrow to indicate the direction the 
tips are pointing. 

5. Put the rag doll in water over night. The next morn- 
ing, pour off the water and cut the strings. Put the doll 
in a bread pan. Raise one end an inch so that the tips 



140 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

point downward. Keep the pan in a warm room and 
keep the doll moist by occasional watering. Keep the 
pan partly covered. 

6. After seven or eight days, carefully unroll the 
doll and record the results as suggested in the sawdust 
box method. 

7. If you wish to test very many ears of corn by this 
method, make the cloth 13 inches longer, and then you 
can test 20 ears at a time. 

8. A bread pan will easily accommodate three rag . 
dolls. If a pail is used in which to keep the dolls instead 
of a bread pan, you can accommodate many more. 

Questions 

• I. Which method of testing corn do you prefer? Why? 
2. With which method must you be most particular? 
Why? 

To the Teacher. — Demonstrate these exercises in the 
school room, getting the pupils in the class to assist you. 
Encourage the class to test seed corn at home. F. B. 948, 
The Rag Doll Tester gives good suggestions. 

Exercise 2 

PLANNING THE HOME GARDEN 

Object. — To plan the home garden so that the work 
may be systematized, no space wasted, and all the dif- 
ferent desired varieties of vegetables given the proper 
amount of space. 

Materials. — Ruler, tape, or rod stick. 

Procedure. — i. Determine the exact size of the home 
garden by careful measuring. 



MARCH 141 

2. Consult your parents and obtain both a list of the 
various vegetables to be grown in the garden, and also 
an idea of the amount of space in rows, to be devoted to 
each kind of vegetable. Exercise 8, February. 

3. Look up the cultural directions given for each 
variety in a seed catalog and in Table 11, Appendix. 
Find out how far apart the rows should be and how 
far apart the seeds are to be planted in the row, accord- 
ing to the method of cultivation you are going to use. 

4. Make an outline of the garden, drawn accurately 
to some scale, such as making ]/\ or ^ inch on paper 
equal to one foot of the garden. 

5. Indicate, by light lines on the garden map, the rows 
of vegetables. Have the proper distances between the 
rows. Place on the plan the names of the vegetables to 
be grown and give to each its proper proportion of space. 

6. Show the plan to your parents, discuss it with 
them, and make suggested changes. If necessary, make 
a revised plan. 

7. Determine the number of linear feet for each kind 
of vegetable, and the quantity of seed required. 

8. Determine, with your parents, having the notes 
from Exercise 8, February, with you, the variety and 
amount of each kind of seed to order. Order the seeds 
early. 

9. Keep the plan to use in staking out and planting 
the garden. 



142 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

SUGGESTIVE PLAN OF A GARDEN 



I' 


Corn or Potatoes 


iH' 


Spinach or Onion Sets 


iH' 


Corn or Potatoes 


2K' 


Beans follow with Turnips 


2' 


Beans follow with Lettuce 


2' 


Spinach or Onion Sets 


2' 


Spinach follow with Tomatoes 


2' 


Early Beets and Carrots 


2' 


Swiss Chard or Parsnip 


2' 


Peas follow with Beans 


2>^' 


Peas follow with Beans 


2' 


Radish and Lettuce follow with Beets 


l' 





Suggestive Garden Plan, Scale yi = \ . 

Garden is 24^ ft. wide. Rows may be as long as desired. 

Exercise 3 

HOTBEDS 

Object. — To make a hotbed. 

Materials. — Lumber, nails, tools, fresh horse manure, 
soil. 
Explanation. — This is a splendid exercise for the boys 



MARCH 



143 



of the agriculture class ; they should build a hotbed either 
on the school grounds or on the home farm of one of the 
boys living near the school. 

Procedure. — i. Study the sectional view of a hotbed 
shown below. 

2. Plan to locate the hotbed on the south side of some 
building. Make it to fit the sash you are going to use. 
A storm window will answer well. 




HOTBED SHOWING PLAN OF CONSTRUCTION. — Couitesy Pennsylvania State 
Board of Agriculture 



3. Make the frame 28 inches high in the front, 34 
inches in the back, and a few inches shorter and narrower 
than the sash. Fit the sash to the frame before you nail 
it together permanently. 

4. Make an excavation about two feet deep and a few 
inches longer and wider than the frame; then set the 
frame in it as shown in sketch. 

5. Fill the hotbed with fresh horse manure and tramp 
this down firmly to make a layer 18 inches deep. Level 
the surface and place about 4 inches of a rich garden 
loam upon the manure. 



144 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

6. Bank the outer sides with manure. 

7. Cover with the sash and place a thermometer in 
the hotbed, inserting it a few inches in the soil. After 
the heat has reached its maximum and subsided to about 
80°, plant the seeds in rows about 4 inches apart. 

8. Water often enough to keep the soil moist but only 
in the morning. Regulate the temperature by raising and 
lowering the sash. On clear warm days remove the sash 
entirely. 

Questions 

1. Why use only horse manure? 

2. What is the danger of keeping the soil too moist? 

3. How can you protect the hotbed during cold weather? 

Exercise 4 

A COLD FRAME 

Object. — To make a cold frame. 

Materials. — Lumber, nails, tools, sash or muslin. 

Explanation. — The cold frame is used to harden plants 
grown indoors, and to raise plants after the soil and 
weather have become mild. No manure is used in a cold 
frame. 

Procedure. — i. Decide how large the frame is to be. 
Make a frame 8 inches high in the front, and 14 or 16 
inches high in the rear, and just a little shorter and nar- 
rower than the sash or muslin to be used. 

2. Place the frame in a sheltered position facing the 
south. Spade the soil within it, and, if necessary, add 
some good rich soil. 

3. Bank the outer sides with manure or soil. 

4. Plant seeds in the soil as directed in previous ex- 
ercise. 



MARCH 



145 



5. Cover the frame with musHn during cold nights and 
chilly days. 

To the Teacher. — As a demonstration get several of the 
boys in the class to build a cold frame, to be used either 
on the school grounds, or at the home of some member of 
the class. 

Exercise 5 

TREE PLANTING 

Object. — To learn how to transplant properly a tree. 

Materials. — Spade, pruning shears, a tree. 

Explanation. — 
Each year the teach- 
er and the class 
should plant a tree on 
or near the school 
grounds. This exer- 
cise should be carried 
out by the class as a 
whole. 

Procedure. — I. 
Carefully dig up a 
small ,tree from a 
wood lot, being care- 
ful to disturb the 
roots as little as pos- 
sible. 

2. Dig a hole large 
enough to take all the 

O A CUT SHOWING HOW LARGE TO MAKE THE 

rrkOfc in fV(/=»ir noflll-o1 HOLE AND HOW TO SPREAD THE ROOTS 

ruuis m tneir natural ^^^^ planting trees and shrubs.— 

position and deep f/SfJ-i ^'''^'" Nurseries Co., Neosho, 




146 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

enough to allow the tree to be planted a few inches 
deeper than it has been. If soil appears to be dry pour 
a bucket of water in the hole. 

3. Cut off any bruised or broken roots, and the rough 
ends of the large roots, with smooth cuts. 

4. Place the tree in the hole and press the dirt very 
firmly about the roots so that the roots come into close 
contact with the soil. Fill the hole and leave the top 
few inches of soil loose. 

5. Prune back the top of the tree fully one-half, and 
cut out all unnecessary branches to give the transplanted 
tree a good shape. 

Questions 

1. Why cut off about Yz of the top of the tree after 
transplanting? 

2. When is the best time to transplant trees? 

3. Why leave the top few inches of soil unpacked? 

Exercise 6 

PREPARING THE GARDEN 

Object. — To prepare the garden soil. 

Materials. — Spade or garden fork, rake, manure. 

Explanation. — Each spring the pupils should assist 
their teacher in all the different operations of prepar- 
ing a garden. This may be done on or near the school 
grounds or at the home of one of the pupils who lives 
near by. In writing up the exercise each member of the 
class should follow the outline given below. 

Procedure. — i. See that all rubbish which will not 
readily decay is removed from the garden spot. 



MARCH 



147 



2. Apply some well rotted manure, if available, to the 
garden. Usually 20 loads or tons per acre is considered 
a good application. According to this scale, how many 
loads or tons would be a good application of manure for 
the intended garden? 

3. If the garden is large enough and conveniently 
located, it should be plowed and harrowed. If it must 




AFTER THE MANURE IS EVENLY SPREAD, SPADE AS DEEPLY AS POSSIBLE WITH- 
OUT BRINGING ANY RAW SUBSOIL TO THE SURFACE. CoUrtCSV W. Atlee 

Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 



be spaded, spade 8 to 10 inches deep. As soon as a 
spade full of earth is turned over it should be broken 
up by blows with the implement. 

4. After a strip three or four feet wide across the 
garden has been thus broken, fine and smooth the surface 
with a garden rake. 

5. Take a handful of the soil from each of several 
places to be tested for acidity. (See following exercises.) 

6. If commercial fertilizer is to be used, apply half the 



148 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

proper amount now to the prepared soil, and rake it in. 
Apply the other half, between the rows, after the plants 
are started. Fifteen hundred pounds of an average com- 
plete fertilizer is a good application when no manure is 
used and 300 to 500 lbs. when manure is used. According 
to this scale how much could be safely applied to the 
garden which has been prepared? 




THE HANDFUL OF FERTILIZER BEING DROPPED INTO EACH HOLE WILL BE WELL 
MIXED WITH THE SOIL BEFORE THE PLANT IS SET. CourteSy W. AtleC 

Burpee Co. 

7. Wood ashes make a good fertilizer and 1000 lbs. of 
unleached wood ashes per acre is a good application. 
According to this scale how much could safely be applied 
to this garden? 

8. If the soil is sour, this is a good time to sweeten it. 

9. After every rain, or whenever many weeds begin 
to show, cultivate or rake the garden. This process also 
conserves moisture as shown in Exercise i, April. 



MARCH 149 

Questions 

1. Which is the best time to plow or spade a garden, the 
fall or spring? Why? 

2. Why add lime or fertilizer after plowing or spading, 
instead of before? 

3. Why add manure before plowing? 

4. When is the soil in a good condition to plow or spade ? 

Exercise 7 

TESTING SOILS FOR ACIDITY 

Object. — To learn how soils may be tested for acidity. 

Materials. — Blue and red litmus paper, vinegar, lime, 
sample of garden soil, piece of glass about 4 inches 
square, several drinking glasses. 

Procedure. — i. Review Exercise 5, February. To half 
a glass of water add a tablespoonful of vinegar. Thrust 
into the liquid a piece of blue litmus paper and note the 
change of color. (Litmus paper may be purchased at 
drug stores.) 

2. Add a tablespoonful of lime to another glass of 
water and into this liquid place a piece of red litmus 
paper and note the change of color. 

3. Acids turn blue litmus paper red and alkalies turn 
red litmus paper blue. 

4. With as little handling as possible gather a little 
soil from several places in the garden and put this into 
a clean tin can. 

5. Place a piece of moistened blue litmus paper on 
a piece of glass. Moisten in a saucer some of the soil 
you have gathered. Get it so wet that a little mass just 
stays in a pile. With a spoon place this moistened 



150 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

soil over the blue litmus on the glass, and let it stay 
there for lo or 15 minutes. 

6. Look up through the glass and note the color of 
the litmus paper. If the soil is sour the paper will have 
turned red. 

7. Laboratory supply companies, see Appendix, sell 
the Truog Soil Testing Apparatus. With it you can tell 
just how sour a soil is. 

8. If the soil is sour make a few other tests to con- 
firm your first results. Add a little vinegar to some 
of the soil as directed in Exercise 5, February. Results? 

9. One thousand pounds of slaked lime, or one to two 
tons of finely crushed limestone, are applied per acre to 
sweeten a soil. According to this scale, how much does 
your garden need ? 

10. Test at home with red and blue litmus paper: — 
soap, milk, Dutch cleanser, coal ashes, wood ashes, orange 
juice, and other substances. 

Questions 

1. Why do soils get sour? 

2. What kinds of soils get sour? 

3. Does it pay to sweeten soils? Ask your father. 

Exercise 8 

HARD WOOD CUTTINGS 

Object. — To learn how to propagate plants like grapes, 
currants, gooseberries, and shrubs, such as the privet, by 
means of cuttings. 

Materials. — Access to plants to be propagated, knife. 

Procedure. — i. From last year's growth of any of the 



MARCH 151 

plants mentioned, cut ofif pieces having about three buds. 
Make each cut just below the third bud. 

2. Plant these indoors, or directly outdoors, in a light 





-T*-— ^-%^~i'\ TT^i^k® "VjJV'Tv Raaj *w^^?^^i»J' S-."^,-!^-;^ ;--'.-. ^.'.--c^^' 



CUTTINGS SET IN TRENCH, READY TO BE COVERED WITH SOIL. ConrtCSy U. S. 

Department of Agriculture 

soil, SO that only one bud appears just above the ground. 
The buried buds will develop roots and make new plants. 
3. Later in the season when the new plants have de- 
veloped, they may be transplanted whenever desired. 

Questions 

1. Why cut off the pieces just below a bud? 

2. Should or should not the portion of the branch from 
which the cutting was made be cut back to a bud ? Reasons ? 
See Exercise 3, October. 

3. Why should all cuts be made as smooth as possible? 

Exercise 9 

ROOT GRAFTING 

Object. — To learn how to make a root graft. 
Materials. — Willow twigs and roots, sharp knife, 
string. 

Explanation. — The principle of grafting is simply the 




152 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

bringing together of two portions of two different in- 
dividual plants of the same species, so that the cambium 
layers, or growing portions, will be brought into con- 
tact with each other. That portion of the plant which 
contains the root is known as the stock, and the upper 
part which is grafted on to this, is known as the scion. 

Procedure. — i. Dig 
'"™ up a young willow 

tree and use it to 
learn how to graft. 

2. Cut off from the 
branches a number of 
scions, 6 or 8 inches 
long. 

3. Cut from the 
roots, stocks or pieces 
three to four inches 
long, and of the same 
thickness as the 
scions. 

4. Cut the lower 
end of the scion and 

the upper end of the stock as is shown in the illustration. 

5. Fit these together and fasten the two with string. 

6. Practice this joining several times and, as an ex- 
periment, plant some of the joined scions and stocks to 
see if they will grow. 

7. Apples are propagated in the manner described. 
The scions are taken from trees having the desired fruit 
and these are grafted to the roots of apple seed- 
lings. 



root or whip grafting, a, stock; b, 
scion; c, stock and scion united.— 
Courtesy U. S. Department of Agricul 
ture. 



MARCH T53 

Questions 

1. Why are apple trees propagated by grafting? 

2. Why is it necessary to have the cambium layer of the 
scion come in contact with the cambium layer of the stock? 



Exercise 10 

GARDEN RECORDS AND ACCOUNTS 

Object. — To learn how to make and use garden records 
and accounts. 

Explanation. — Garden records afiford excellent op- 
portunities for training in elementary bookkeeping. The 
garden record should show all the time devoted to the 
work, all expenditures, all receipts, and monthly and 
final summaries. 

Procedure. — i. Procure a composition book; one meas- 
uring 7x8 inches will do. . Use the first page for the 
index. 

2. Use the second page for the labor records of the 
first month and the third page for expenses and receipts 
for the same month, as here suggested. 

Labor Records. Month 

Date Hours Kind of work. 

1 I Clean up the garden. 

2 2 Hauling and spreading manure. 

3 etc. 

4 
etc. 

Insert all hired labor under expense. Put down what 
you paid for this labor if you had to pay for it. 



154 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Month 

Date Expenses. Dr. Amount 

Item 

1 Seeds — (specify kinds) ^-25 

2 Team and man — hauling manure . 80 
Etc. 2 hours @ 40^ 

Enter all expenses. If you did not pay in cash for any 

item, enter its worth. If you buy any tools especially 

for your own use, enter ^ of their value ; this assumes 

they will last 3 years. 

Receipts. Cr. 
Date Vegetables or Vegetables used Amount 

plants sold at home 

20 3 doz. tomato plants .... * $30 

30 .... 2 bunches onions . 10 

Estimate value of all vegetables used, at price they 
would bring if sold. 

3. For each remaining month, you will need two pages 
of your note book, preferably two .that open together. 

4. Somewhere near the back of the book have a page 
for the monthly summary sheet as suggested : — 







Monthly Summary 






Month 


Hours of 


Total Expenses 


Cash 


Other 




labor 


value 


receipts 


receipts 


March 


10 


$1.00 $2.50 


$.50 


$.75 


April 










May 










Etc. 











5. Under "Hours of Labor" insert totals from your 
monthly labor records. Charge 10 to 15 cents per hour, 
according to what you are worth. Insert the value of this 
labor under 'Total Value." LInder "Expenses" insert 
monthly totals. This should include cost of seed, special 
garden equipment, hired or donated help, etc. Under 
"Other Receipts," enter value of vegetables used at 
home. Under "Cash Receipts" enter your cash sales. 



MARCH 



155 



6. Close the year's work with a summary sheet as 
suggested. 

Yearly Summary 



Personal labor $. 

Expenses 

Cash receipts 

Other receipts 



Dr. 



Or. 



Totals. . 
Profits.. 
Balance . 



To the Teacher. — In many states rural teachers are sup- 
posed to teach some form of cash accounts in the upper 
grades. Why not start this exercise with the seventh grade 
pupils? Let them carry it through the season and bring it 
to a close in the fall. 

Exercise 11 

HORSE SURVEY 

Object. — To make a horse survey of the school district. 

Procedure. — i. In making this survey, or census re- 
port of the number and kinds of horses in the school 
district, follow all the directions given in Exercise 11, 
September. 

2. In this survey use the following, suggested, tabu- 
lated form. 



School Dist. No. 



HORSE SURVEY. 

. .. Town of Co. 

Date 



Name of Farmer 



I. 

2. 
3. 

4- 
Etc. 



Number 
horses over 
3 yrs. of age 



Number of 
colts under 
3 yrs. of age 



Breed 



Grades or 
pure breds 



156 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

3. If there are any mules in the district include an- 
other column and head it "Number of Mules." 



Project 1 

TESTING SEED CORN 

Object. — To make a germination test of the corn to 
be used at home for seed. ' 




LET THE BOYS AND GIRLS TEST THE SEED CORN. — Courtesy Wisconsin Agriail' 
tural Experiment Station 

Preparation. — i. Study different practical methods of 
testing seed corn. 

2. Read Exercise i, March. 

3. Decide upon the method to be used, and prepare 
the testers. 

4. Be sure that you have a proper place in which to 
keep the testers. 



MARCH 157 

5. If possible, try to see how some farmer in the 
neighborhood tests corn. 

6. Learn to know the difference between weak and 
strong germinating powers. 

Procedure. — i. Arrange the corn so that you can keep 
track of the number of each ear, or number the ears. 

2. Prepare the tester. Number the squares. 

3. Fill the tester, all germs up and tips all pointing 
in one direction. 

4. Properly cover the corn and raise one side of the 
tester an inch so that the tips point downward. 

5. After 7 or 8 days note the results and keep for 
seed only those ears testing 6 strong. 

6. Figure the percentage of strong, of weak, and of 
dead ears. 

7. Keep a record of your time, and figure the cost 
of testing 100 ears of corn. 

Reference.— F. B. 948: The Rag Doll Tester. Seed Corn. Do you 
Know That It Will Grow? Ext. Dept. International Harvester Co., Har- 
vester Bldg., Chicago, 111., 3 cents. 

Project 2 

MANAGEMENT OF THE HOME GARDEN 

Object. — To take complete charge of the manage- 
ment of the home garden and to keep accurate garden 
accounts. 

Preparation. — i. Secure permission from your parents 
to take charge of the garden this year, and solicit their 
cooperation. 

2. Make a study of garden records and accounts. 
Read Exercise lo, March. 



158 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



3. Study how to make a garden plan, how to get the 
soil rich in plant food, and into an ideal tilth. 

4. Become familiar with the names of good varieties 
of vegetables. Read Exercise 8, February. 

Procedure. — i. Procure a composition book. One 
about 7x8 inches, the size commonly used in school, 
will answer. Use this for your record book. Devote 

the first page to a ta- 
ble of contents, and 
the following pages 
to the records as out- 
lined in Exercise 10, 
March. 

2. Make the garden 
plan. See Exercise 2, 
March. Talk the 
planning over with 
your parents. Ask 
them what to plant 
and the amount of 
the space to give to 
each variety of vege- 
table. Consider rotation of crops in the plan. 

3. Keep accurate record of your time, of all expenses, 
and all receipts. 

4. Prepare the garden. See Exercise 6, March. 

5. Stake out the garden, and at proper time begin to 
plant. 

6. Seek your parents' advice from the beginning to 
the end of the project. 

7. Make an effort to sell all surplus vegetables. 




A CONFERENCE BETWEEN PUPIL AND 

TEACHER IN THE GIRLS' GARDEN. SUCH 
CONFERENCES BRING GOOD RESULTS. CoUf- 

tesy Iowa State Teachers' College 



MARCH 



159 



8. Be sure to make out your monthly summary at the 
close of each month, and your final yearly summary. 

9. Use the last four or five pages of your record book 
for a story of your project. Give a little history of it, 
telling the interesting things about the work and some- 
thing about the final financial statement. 

Project 3 



PIG PROJECT 

Object. — To raise one or more pigs and to keep very 
accurate records of the cost of raising one or more 
pigs. 

Explanation. — Pig projects are popular because of the 
great number of boys' 
and girls' pig clubs. 
If a number of boys 
and girls in the school 
start this project they 
should form a pig club 
and get into commu- 
nication with the 
State Leader of Boys' 
and Girls' Club work. 
This project is best 
started with weaned 
pigs from 8 to 12 
weeks old. These 
must be purchased 

and the records must show the purchase price. The 
project should be started sometime in May and be con- 




SOME OF OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL PIG PROJECT 

WORKERS ARE GIRLS. — Courtesy lozva 
State Teachers' College 



i.6o LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

tinued from 4 to 8 months. Each pupil taking up this 
project must feed his pigs, care for them, and keep 
his own accurate records. 

Preparation. — i. Get permission from your father to 
start a pig project and solicit his advice on all important 
matters. 



H||HI 




P»P| 


P^ 


w 


mm 

-l 


III i ' 







ALL THE MEMBERS OF A BOYS' PIG CLUB. THESE BOYS HAVE LEARNED HOW 

TO RAISE PIGS. — Courtesy U. S. Department of Agriculture 



2. Carefully consider and study the following ques- 
tions : — a. How many pigs shall I attempt to raise ? 

b. Shall I get grades or pure breds? What breed? 

c. Where and how am I going to get the pigs? d. 
Where can I keep and house them? e. What should I 
feed them and where am I going to get the feed? f. 
Should I grow special forage crops? What kind and 



MARCH 



i6i 



how large an area shall I need? g. How shall I be able 
to weigh the pigs? What records should I keep? 

Procedure. — i. Get a composition book, similar to 
those you use in school, and use it for your record book. 

2. Use page i for the table of contents. 

3. Use page 2 for the following, devoting one line to 
each item: — a. Number of pigs in project? b. Breed? 
c. Grade or pure breds? d. Date project started? e. 
Age of pigs at start? f. Value at start? g. Weight at 
start ? 

4. Use page 3 for recording at close of each month 
the weights of the pigs, if the pigs can be weighed each 
month. Use suggested form. If no scales are at hand 
merely record initial and final weights. 

Record of Weights by Months 
Month Weight in Pounds Gain in Pounds 

First (insert dates) 
Second 
Etc. 



5. Use sheets 4 and 5 for one month's labor and feed 
records. Record the hours spent each day on the 
project. H, while at school, the pigs were fed for you, 
get the time and add it to your time. 

6. On page 5 record the feed purchased during the 
month as suggested : — 







Monthly Feed Record 




Date 


Kind of Feed 


Pounds 


Cost 


I. 
2. 









i62 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Weigh and make charge for skim milk if used. Make 
charge for foraging, at actual cost or at so much per day 
for pasturing. Use 2 pages for the same uses for each 
following month. Allow about 16 pages for these 
monthly records. Get totals for each month. 

7. Transfer monthly totals to a summary sheet as 
suggested. 

Month Hours of Labor Feed Cost Other Expenses 
I. 

2. 
Etc. 

8. Formulate the ration you are going to feed. 

9. Make preparations for housing the pigs before 
starting the project. 

10. Get the totals of the summary sheet (item 7) and 
fill out the following summary : 

Expenses 

a. Cost of pigs at beginning of project $ 

b. Total feed cost 

c. Total labor cost @ lOjzf per hour 

d. Other expenses 



Total expense $. 

Receipts 

a. Final weight of pigs lbs. 

b. Value of pigs @ i per pound $ . . . 



Total receipts . 
Total expenses. 



Profits $ 

Other Data 

a. Weight of pigs at beginning of project lbs* 

b. Weight of pigs at close of project lbs- 

c. Gain lbs. 

d. Number of days fed 

e. Average daily gain 

i. Cost per pound of gain 



MARCH 163 

II. Write a story or discussion of your project on 
some of the remaining pages of the record book. 

F. B. 765: Breeds of Swine. F. B. 874: Swine Management. F. B. 
909: Self Feeder for Hogs. F. B. 951: Hog Pastures for Southern States- 
Yearbook Separate, 667 Boys' Pig Club Work, 5 cents. F. B. 566: Boys' 
Pig Clubs. Cir. 6: Swine, Armour's Research Bureau, Stock Yards, Chi- 
cago. Dept. Bui. 646: Lessons in Pork Production for Rural Schools, 
5 cents. 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN MARCH 

Good plowing Grafting work 

Treating oats for smut Results of freezing on fall 

Treating potatoes for scab plowed land 

Fanning mill cleaning seeds 



APRIL 



Exercise 1 



CHECKING EVAPORATION 

Object. — To see how a dust mulch acts in checking 
evaporation. 

Materials. — Two pieces of lump sugar, teaspoonful of 
powdered sugar, saucer. 

Procedure. — i. Put 
enough water in two 
saucers to make a lay- 
er of about Ya. of an 
inch deep, and add a 
few drops of ink to 
the water in each 
saucer. 

2. Put a heaping 
pile of powdered su- 
gar on a piece of 
lump sugar and care- 
fully set this in a 
saucer containing the colored water. 

3. In the other saucer, place an ordinary lump of 
sugar. 

4. How high does the water rise in each lump of 
sugar ? Why does it not rise to the top of the powdered 
sugar ? 




A DUST MULCH CHECKS EVAPORATION. 

Courtesy International Harvester Co. 



164 



APRIL 



165 



Questions 

1. If the powdered sugar is regarded as the light mulch 
on a soil, explain how it checks evaporation. (See "An In- 
troduction to Agriculture," page 44.) 

2. What effect would hoeing a garden and leaving it 
rough and lumpy have upon evaporation? 

3. How could one establish a fine dust mulch on the 
srarden soil? 



® ® 


4' 

® 


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i|%i^ 


w 

® 


® 



SEED CUT IN BLOCKY PIECES LIKE NUMBERS 3» 4. 6, AND 8, IS PREFERRED. 

POTATOES LIKE NUMBER 5 SHOULD NOT BE USED. — Courtesy Wisconstn Ag- 
ricultural Experiment Station 

Exercise 2 



CUTTING SEED POTATOES 



Object. — To learn how to cut seed potatoes. 
Materials. — Knife, a number of potatoes. 
Procedure. — i. Study the pictures and practice cutting 
a number of potatoes. 



i66 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

2. Cut them any way, provided that each piece has 
two eyes and a good portion of the flesh of the potato. 
Remember that until the roots can develop sufficiently 
to begin to take raw plant food from the soil, the young 
potato draws its food from the cutting. 

3. Many potato growers dust the cut pieces in land 
plaster to check wilting. If land plaster is available 
dust a few cut pieces and expose them with undusted 
pieces a few days and notice the difference. 

To the Teacher, — This exercise should be worked a day 
or two before potatoes are planted in the community, so 
that the cut pieces need not be wasted. Some one living 
near the school may be glad to have the class cut a bushel 
of seed for them. 

Exercise 3 

HATCHING CHICKS 

Object. — To observe different methods of hatching 
chicks. 

Procedure. — i. With your teacher visit some farms 
near the school where chicks are successfully raised 
both by means of hens and by means of incubators. 

2. Where eggs are hatched by means of hens, each 
member of the class should observe the following: — 

Location of nest, kind, size, how kept free of lice, 
number of eggs in nests, the breed of the hen, feed given 
to the hen, source and kind of ^gg^ used, testing for in- 
fertile eggs. 

3. Where incubators are used observe the following: 
Temperature and moisture, condition of the room, capac- 



APRIL 



167 



ity of incubators and number of eggs in each, care of 
the incubator, the turning and testing of the eggs, the 
circulation of heat through the incubator, the tempera- 
ture in the incubator. 

4. No child should hesitate to ask any questions. 




SUMMER HATCHED CHICKS NEED SHADE. THE COOPS HAVE NO BOTTOMS AND 

ARE MOVED TO A NEW SPOT EVERY DAY. — Conrtcsy Wisconsin Agricultural 
Experiment Station 



There are always important points arising in observation 
trips not mentioned in the outline. The trips are made 
to gain information. 

5. Briefly write up where you went, and what you 
saw. 



To the Teacher. — Locate places where these observations 
may be made, and secure permission to take the class to 
study the methods. 



i68 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 4 

CARE OF CHICKS 

Object. — To observe the care given to chicks when 
hatched by means of hens, and by means of incubators. 

Explanation. — The hatching of chicks is a simple 
matter and easily accomplished. The raising of chickens 
is a more difficult problem. The critical period is the 
first month of their lives. How they may be brought 
through this period successfully is the subject matter of 
this exercise. 

Procedure. — i. With your teacher visit one or two 
places where chicks are successfully raised with hens, 
and note the location of the coops. 

2. How are the coops kept clean? How often are 
they moved ? How protected in bad weather ? 

3. Inquire what ration is being fed and how often 
the chicks are fed. 

4. How is the drinking water kept clean? 

5. If possible visit a place where chicks are artifi- 
cially raised. 

6. Examine the brooders. Where are they kept? 

7. How are the brooders kept warm? How many 
chicks are put in a brooder? 

8. Find out what and how often the chicks are fed. 

9. How often are the floors of the brooders cleaned? 
Is any material used as litter on the floor? 

10. Make a drawing of a coop and of a brooder. 

11. Briefly write up where you went and what you 
saw. 



APRIL 



169 



To the Teacher. — Make arrangements beforehand with 
successful poultry raisers for a class demonstration. 

Exercise 5 

PRESERVING EGGS 

Object. — To learn how to preserve eggs. 

Explanation. — There are two common methods of 
preserving eggs at home. These are the water-glass 
method, and the lime solution method. 








aO/Z. £■£> A3A/0 COO££C> 






IT PAYS TO PUT DOWN EGGS WHEN THE PRICE IS LOW. CourteSy U. S. 

Department of Agriculture 



Materials. — Two quart Mason jars, a little water glass, 
and lime, and one dozen eggs. Water glass may be pur- 
chased in any drug store. 

Procedure. — i. In this demonstration, the class should 
preserve 6 tggs in a Mason jar containing the water- 
glass solution and 6 eggs in the lime solution. If they 
cannot be kept in a cool place at school, one of the 



b 



170 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

pupils should take the jars home and put them away in 
a cool, dark place for a period of four to six months. 

2. Water-glass method. — Add one part of water glass 
(about y\ of a glass) to nine parts of boiled water 
(about a quart) which has been allowed to cool. Stir 
the mixture thoroughly and almost fill a quart Mason 
jar with it. Put six eggs in the jar and lightly screw on 
the top. Keep the jar in a cool cellar and see that the 
eggs are always covered with about two inches of the 
liquid. 

3. Lime solution method. — In this method, one pound 
of quick or stone lime is used with one gallon of water 
and a half pound of salt. Weigh out enough lime and 
salt for I quart of the solution. How much of these 
will be needed? Slack the Hme with a little hot water. 
Mix the slacked lime with the required amount of water 
and add the salt. Stir the mixture thoroughly and allow- 
to settle. Pour off the clear solution into a Mason jar 
and use it for preserving the eggs. Put six eggs into 
this and keep the jar covered. Also keep it in a cool 
place. 

4. After a period of 4 or 6 months, use eggs from 
both jars. Did they keep equally well in both solutions? 
When may eggs be preserved in these solutions? 

5. Large earthenware crocks should be used for pre- 
serving eggs for home use. 

6. In your notes briefly describe these two methods 
of preserving eggs. 



APRIL 



171 



Exercise 6 

EXAMINATION OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 

Object. — To get familiar with the appearance, compo- 
sition, solubility, and reactive action toward litmus of 
commercial fertilizers. 

Materials. — Samples of commercial fertilizers, several 
glasses of water, blue and red litmus paper. 

Procedure. — i. The results of this exercise should be 
tabulated in the form suggested below : 



Name of Formula 



Color 



Form 



Solubility 
in Water 



Acidic or 
Alkaline 



Etc. 



2. Examine different kinds of commercial fertilizers, 
especially those used in the community. Note their 
color and form and record these in suggested forms. 

3. Add a little of each to some water in a glass and 
stir well. Are they soluble? Record results. Test the 
water containing them with a small piece of blue and 
red litmus paper and note and record the results. 

To the Teacher. — Litmus paper may be purchased in 
drug stores, or from laboratory supply companies. Samples 
of commercial fertilizers also may be purchased from lab- 
oratory supply companies, or from dealers. (See Appendix, 
Table 9.) 

Exercise 7 

MIXING COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 

Object. — To learn how to compound a certain ferti- 
lizer. 



172 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Explanation. — Complete or mixed commercial fertil- 
izers are sold on the percentage composition basis. A 
4-8-2 fertilizer contains 4 per cent nitrogen or ammonia, 
8 per cent soluble "phosphoric acid," and 2 per cent pot- 
ash. Where much fertilizer is used, there is economy in 
buying the ingredients and mixing these at home in the 
proper proportion to get the raw plant food. 

Materials. — Table showing composition of fertilizing 
substances. See Appendix, Table 3. 

Procedure. — i. All commercial fertilizers are figured 
on a ton basis. The following method shows how to 
mix a 2-8-2 fertilizer. 



2% of nitrogen equals 40 lbs. in a ton 

« u u 

u u u 



8% of phos. acid equals 160 " " " 



2% of potash equals 40 

These ingredients may be obtained from the following: 



250 lbs. of 16% nitrate of soda will give 40 lbs. of nitrogen 

1000 " " 16% acid phosphate " " 160 " " phos. acid 

80 " " 50% chloride of potassium " " 40 " " potash 

1330 " " material required, and the remainder 



670 lbs. in a ton will be filler containing no raw plant 
food. 

2. In a similar manner show how a 4-6-4 fertilizer 
may be mixed. 

3. Show how a 2-6-8 fertilizer may be mixed. 

To the Teacher. — This is a good problem in arithmetic. 
Assign it for arithmetic and discuss the results when the 
class meets for agriculture. 



APRIL 173 

Exercise 8 

STAKING OUT THE GARDEN 

Object. — To learn how a garden is staked out accord- 
ing to a plan. 






I 



LEARNING THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF ARITHMETIC. — Cmirtcsy Massachu- 
setts State Board of Agriculture 



Explanation. — This is an excellent observation lesson 
in which many of the boys and girls in the school may 
take part. 

Materials. — Tape line, yard sticks, and small stakes. 
Two stakes will be required for each row on the plan 



174 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

and four for the corners of the garden. Narrow strips, 
about an inch wide, made from cedar shingles will 
answer. 

Procedure. — i. This exercise may be best demon- 
strated at the time the first planting is to be done, at 
the home of a member of the class who has made an 
accurate plan of his garden, as outlined in Exercise 2, 
March. 

2. Place the four corner stakes. 

3. At each end of the garden place a stake at the 
proper distance to mark each row. The distances be- 
tween the stakes should be equal to that designated on 
the plan. 

4. What is gained by staking out the garden before 
planting ? 

5. Briefly write up how you staked out a garden. 

Questions 

1. What is gained by staking out a garden before doing 
any planting? 

2. Need a large garden, cultivated with horse-drawn im- 
plements, be staked out? How are the rows to be planted, 
indicated in such gardens? 

Exercise 9 

PLANTING THE GARDEN 

Object. — To observe how to plant the seeds in a gar- 
den properly. 

Materials. — Garden plan, garden line, required seeds. 

Procedure. — I. This is another demonstrational exer- 
cise, and, if possible, should be conducted at the home 



APRIL 175 

farm of some pupil where an accurate plan of the gar- 
den has been made and the garden has been staked 
out, and made ready to be planted. 

2. Stretch the garden line between the two stakes of 
the first row to be planted. 

3. With a stick or hoe, make a furrow directly under 



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MIM 




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J 


Li 


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Mtm 



FOR SMALL SEEDS USE THE HANDLE OF THE HOE FOR MARKING OUT THE ROW 

ALONGSIDE OF THE LINE. — Courtesy W. Atlcc Burpee Co., Phila., Pa. 

the stretched line and deep enough for the kind of seed 
to be planted. 

4. Plant the seeds according to directions. 

5. Cover seeds to the proper depth. Remove the line 
and stretch it between the stakes of the next row to be 
planted. 

6. Firm the soil above the planted seeds with the back 
of the hoe or with the foot. Why? 

7. In like manner, plant all seeds to be planted at this 
time. 

8. Briefly write up the different steps in planting seeds. 



176 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Questions 

1. What are the advantages of straight rows? 

2. Why are some seeds planted deeper than others? 

Exercise 10 

PLAN OF THE HOME FARM 

Object. — To draw an accurate plan of the home farm 
and to find the number of acres in each field. 

Procedure. — i. The plan here given is of a lOO acre 
farm. It shows the fields, 

8o Rods 40 Rods 80 Rods 



^ 20 acres 
% Corn 




IS acres 
Wheat 

1 


1 

^ 20 acres 
^ Meadow 


^ B. 

20 acres 
^ Oats 





1 E. 
20 acres 

^ Meadow 



1 




Orchard 


Garden 



the orchard, garden, grounds, and buildings. On this 
plan the scale used is, — 5 rods equals % of an inch. 

2. Draw a plan of the home farm getting the distances 
on all sides of the fields from your father and, wherever 
in doubt, actually measure them. 

3. If time permits, make a large plan of the farm in 
which the scale is 5 rods equal to one inch, and indicate 
the crops grown on each field for the last 5 years. This 
will show the rotation on each field. 

Exercise 11 

FORAGE CROPS SURVEY 

Object. — To make a survey of the number of acres 
devoted to forage crops in the school district. 



APRIL 177 

Procedure. — i. The following outline is suggested for 
this survey. 



Forage Crops Survey 



School Dist. No Town of. 

Date 



Co. 



I. 
2. 
3. 

Etc. 



Name of 
Farmer 



Acres in 
Timothy 



Total 
Yield 



Acres in 

Clover 

and 

Timothy 



Total 
Yield 
Tons 



Acres in 
other 

Forage 
Crops 



Total 
Yield 
Tons 



2. For directions in conducting this survey, see Exer- 
cise II, September. 

3. In place of the column headed ''Other Forage 
Crops" alfalfa may be used, or the name of any other 
crops raised for forage purposes in the community. 

Exercise 11 

GARDEN DIARY BOOKLET 

Object. — A garden booklet for young boys in which 
they may keep any or all of the following items : 



Dates on which different vegetables were planted. 

The first vegetables to appear. 

List of vegetables planted. 

List of flowers planted. 

Insects seen in the garden. 

Birds seen in the garden, dates. 

First flower to bloom. 

First flowers picked. 

First vegetables used. Date. 



178 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

To this may be added other items. This material will 
offer excellent language and composition lessons. 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN APRIL 

Incubators in operation Spreading fertilizers 

Brooding of chicks The birds 

Preparation of a seed bed Opening of buds 
Liming soils 

Project 1 

HATCHING AND RAISING CHICKS 

Object. — To hatch one or more sittings of eggs from 
pure bred stock and to raise the chicks. 

Explanation. — This project should be started early in 
April and continue until November i. The pupil should 
do all the w^ork necessary in hatching and raising the 
chicks except that which must be done while he is in 
school, when the necessary work may be done for him. 
Accurate records of cost of eggs, feed, and other cash 
expenses should be kept. If desired, labor records may 
also be kept. 

Preparation. — Study the matters related to this project 
as outlined below. 

1. What breed of poultry shall I raise? 

2. Do I want to raise the chickens for meat, eggs, or 
both? 

3. Where can I get good eggs from pure bred stock at 
reasonable prices? 

4. What hens can I get for hatching the eggs? 

5. Where should I put the nest? How feed the sitting 
hen? 

6. Where and how should I keep the hen and chicks? 



APRIL 



179 




AN ORCHARD IS AN IDEAL PLACE TO RAISE YOUNG CHICKENS. CoUTteSy Mis- 

souri Poultry Experiment Station 

7. What and how often should I feed the chicks? 

8. How should I manage the growing chicks? 

Procedure. — i. Get a clear idea of all the points in- 
volved in the project, and get everything ready to start 
the project. 

2. Keep records in an ordinary composition book such 
as you use in school. 

3. Use the first page for the table of contents. Use 
the second page for the following : 

1. Breed of poultry raised. 

2. Number of eggs and cost. 

3. Date eggs were set. 

4. Number hatched? Percentage? 

5. Number raised up to November i. 

4. Reserve two or three of the following pages for 
expenses, recording these in the order they occur. 

5. If labor records are kept, use one page for each 
month and record as accurately as possible the number 
of minutes devoted to the project each day. 



i8o LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

6. Use one sheet for receipts, recording what birds, 
if any, were sold. Sell all the cockerels. 

7. November ist, make out a summary sheet showing 
cost of chicks, not including labor, as suggested. 

Cost of eggs 

Cost of feed 

Other cash expenses 

Total Cost 

Deduct from this all the sales. 

8. If possible, sell all the cockerels. If they are pure 
bred you should get a good price for them. Use the 
pullets to start, on November ist, an Qgg laying project 
as outlined in Project 2, November. 

References.— F. B. 562: Boys' and Girls' Poultry Clubs. F. B. 898: 
Mediterranean Class of Chickens. F. B. 806: American Class of Chickens. 
F. B, 530: Hints to Poultry Raisers. F. B. 624: Brooding Chicks. 
F. B. 889: Backyard Poultry Keeping. F. B. 957: Poultry Diseases. 

To the Teacher. — A few similar projects are goose, duck, 
and turkey raising. Hints for these projects can be found 
in: F. B. y6y: Goose Raising; F. B. 791: Turkey Raising; 
F. B. 200 : Turkeys, 5c., F. B. 697 : Duck Raising. Dept. Bui. 
464, Lessons on Poultry for Rural Schools, loc 

Project 2 

RAISING A CALF 

Object. — To raise a calf. 

Explanation. — Calf clubs for rural school boys and 
girls have been organized in practically every state, and 
any boy or girl may take up this project and, if desired, 
enter a club. In this project, as in all others, all the 
work must be done by the pupil, except that which must 



APRIL i8i 

be performed when he is in school or is sick. The calf 
should preferably be a pure bred or grade female. The 
project should be started in the spring and continue until 
the fall. If possible, the calf should continue to be the 
property of the pupil and later be used in a milk pro- 
ducing project. Before starting the project get a clear 
idea of what is necessary to conduct it successfully. The 
calf should be your property, paid for out of your own 
pocket, and not given to you. You should either pay 
cash for it, or have your father loan you the money 
to buy it, or you should work out its cost. The records 
should show the value of the calf when the project is 
^started. 

Preparation. — i. Where and how am I going to get a 
good calf? 

2. What breed of calf should I get? 

3. Where and how am I going to keep it? 

4. Where am I going to get the feed? Have I money 
to buy it? Shall I ask father to loan me the money? Can 
I do work for him for the feed? 

5. How can I weigh the calf occasionally? 

6. What shall I feed it to make it grow well and keep 
healthy? 

7. Where and how can I manage to keep it when I close 
up the project in the fall? 

Procedure. — i. Prepare to keep records. Read Proj- 
ect I, April, and Project 2, December. Enter in your 
record book the following: 

1. Breed of calf. 3. Age when taken. 

2. Date of birth. 4. Pure bred or grade. 



i82 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



5. Sire's name No. 

6. Dam's name ..... No. 



7. From whom purchased. 

8. Purchase price. 



2. Open a feed expense account in your record book, 
and charge all items of feed, — weight and value, — as you 
purchase them, in order, including the whole and skim 
milk. 

3. Enter all other items of expense. 

4. When you close up the project, fill out a summary 
feed table as suggested: 



SUMMARY FEED TABLE 




Feed 


Pounds Fed 


Price per Lb. 

Hundredweight 

of ton 


Total Cost 


I. Whole milk 




• 




2. Skim milk 




3. Grain 




A 




5 




6. Hay 








8. Pasture 








Totals 













For pasture put down what your father would charge 
for pasturing a calf for a neighbor. 

5. Finally fill out the following summary: 

1. Date when project started. 

2. Date when project closed. 

3. Weight when entered on project. 

4. Weight at close of project. 

5. Total gain in pounds. 

6. Average daily gain. 

7. Cost of feed. 

8. Cost of 100 lbs. gain in weight. 



APRIL 183 

6. Prepare to do the work well. Enter all expenses 
promptly, and if scales are available, weigh the calf 
every 30 days. 

References. — F. B. TTT- Feeding and Management of Dairy Calves. 
F, B. 893: Breeds of Dairy Cattle. F. B. 612: Breeds of Beef Cattle. 
F. B. 811: Production of Baby Beef. 

To the Teacher. — The State Leader of Boys* and Girls' 
Club Work, located at your State Agricultural College, will 
gladly mail you leaflets pertaining to calf projects. Write 
to him. 



MAY 
Exercise 1 

EFFECT OF LIGHT UPON PLANT GROWTH 

Object. — To study the effects of light upon a growing 
plant' 

Explanation. — This is a demonstrational exercise in 
which the class, as a whole, should assist. Each member 
should briefly write up the experiment and answer the 
questions. 

Materials. — Two tin cans with holes punched in the 
bottoms and around the sides near the bottoms ; oats. 

Procedure. — i. Mix two parts of a rich garden soil 
with one part coarse sand, and fill the two tin cans with 
the mixed soil. 

2. Plant about ten oat kernels in each pot. Water the 
soil regularly and put the cans where the plants will 
grow well. 

3. When the oats are about three inches high, put one 
of the cans in a dark place for three or four days, then 
compare its plants with those of the other can. What 
changes were caused by the absence of sunlight? 

4. Keep the two cans in the lighted place for several 
days longer and note the effect the sunlight has upon the 
plants which have been in the dark. What are some of 
the effects of sunlight upon plant growth? 

184 



MAY 185 

Questions 

1. Of what use is the green coloring matter of plants? 

2. Would this coloring matter be of any use to plants 
deprived of sunlight? 

3. Why is sunlight essential? See Chapter 2 in "An 
Introduction to Agriculture" or how plants make food, in 
any agricultural text book. 

Exercise 2 

CIRCULATION OF WATER IN PLANTS 

Object. — To show how water circulates in a plant. 

Explanation. — See previous exercise. 

Materials. — Glass of water containing a few drops of 
red ink, one or two white flowers with long stems such 
as the lily of the valley, or white carnation. 

Procedure. — i. Insert the freshly cut ends of one or 
two of the flowers mentioned, in the colored water in the 
glass. 

2. At intervals of about one half an hour examine the 
plants to discover how far up the stems the red solution 
has moved. 

3. Did the red solution color the white petals? How 
long did it take? 

4. Hold a few of the petals and leaves up to the light 
and see if you can see the veins in which the water circu- 
lates? Are they very numerous? 

Questions 

1. Does much water circulate through plants? 

2. Why does the water go up into the leaves of plants? 

3. Does the water circulating through plants have any 
particular uses? (See Chapter 4, "An Introduction to Agri- 
culture.") 



i86 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 3 

SOIL TESTS 

Object. — To study the effects of commercial fertilizers 
and of lime upon plant growth. 

Materials. — About a pound of each of the following: 
nitrate of soda, acid phosphate, chloride of potassium, 
and 2 pounds of slaked lime. 

Explanation. — This is a demonstrational exercise in 




ON THE LEFT, CLOVER ON UNFERTILIZED PLOT. ON THE RIGHT, CLOVER ON 
SOIL TREATED WITH GROUND LIMESTONE AND ACID PHOSPHATE. Cotirtesy 

Kentucky Agricultural Experimental Station 

which the whole class should take part. The demon- 
stration should be carried on in a field near the school, 
and should be started a day or two before the crop, 
which may be wheat, oats, potatoes, corn, alfalfa or 
clover, is planted. 

Procedure. — i. Assist your teacher in laying off four 
strips of ground, lo feet square, with a space of three 
feet between them, on one edge of the field. 



MAY 187 

2. Broadcast over these four strips, respectively, one 
pound of nitrate of soda, one pound of acid phosphate, 
one pound of chloride of potassium, and two pounds of 
slaked lime. 

3. Rake the materials into the soil. 

4. While the crop is being planted the stakes may be 
temporarily taken out and later, after the planting, be 
put back in some places. 

5. The demonstration plats should be a regular part 
of a field and should receive the same treatment in plant- 
ing and care as the rest of the field. 

6. Note carefully the rate of growth, the ,vigor, and 
the color of the crop on each plat, and compare it, in 
each case, with the strips between the plots on which no 
fertilizers were applied. 

7. This is a good practical method of determining 
what elements of plant food, if any, do not occur in 
sufficient quantities in the soil. 

8. Briefly write up the tests that were made; and the 
results obtained. 



To the Teacher. — Secure permission to conduct such a 
test and have all the materials on hand. 



Exercise 4 

TRANSPLANTING 

Object. — To learn how to transplant seedlings into the 
garden. 

Materials. — A flat of tomato, cabbage, or cauliflower 
plants. 



i88 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Explanation. — This is a demonstrational exercise in 
which the whole class should take part, the pupils doing 
just as much of the work as possible. 

No plant should be taken directly from a warm room 
or hotbed and exposed suddenly to open weather con- 
ditions. The change should be made gradually by ex- 
posing the plants on warm days, then on warm nights, 




PROPER THINNING IS ESSENTIAL FOR GOOD RESULTS. DON T JUST PULL THE 
PLANTS UP BUT USE A STICK TO LOOSEN THE SOIL AROUND THE ROOTS BEFORE 

REMOVING. Courtesy W. Atlee Burpee Co., Phila., Pa. 



and finally on cool nights. Besides exposing the plants 
to the open, they should also be made accustomed to the 
dryer conditions of the outdoor air, by giving them 
during the week before they are transplanted only 
enough water to keep them healthy. The plants should 
be watered an hour or two before transplanting to fill 
their tissues with water. The best time to transplant 
is on the evening of a cloudy day, either before or after 
a rain. 



MAY 189 

Procedure. — i. Transplant some plants following di- 
rections here given. 

2. Remove the plants with as much soil adhering to 
the roots as possible. 

3. Make a hole in the ground deep enough to allow 
the plants to be set down to the first leaves, and insert 
the plant to the proper depth. 

4. Cover the roots with some fine soil. Press this down 
firmly to fill up all air spaces and to bring the soil in 
close contact with the roots. 

5. Add water to moisten the soil thoroughly and when 
this water has disappeared fill the rest of the hole with 
loose soil. Do not firm this, as it should act as a mulch 
to check evaporation. 

6. Tomato plants with long stems should be trans- 
planted differently. Make a hole deep and long enough 
to lay the roots in the trench and turn up the tops of 
the plants. 

7. The tops of beets, tomatoes, celery, etc., may be 
partly sheared to reduce the evaporation from the plant. 

8. If the following day is bright and warm, protect 
the plants. 

9. In your notes briefly tell how you transplanted some 
seedlings. 

Exercise 5 

NODULES AND LEGUMES 

Object. — To study the nodules on the roots of legumes. 
Materials. — Several different legumes, spade. 



190 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Explanation. — This is an observational exercise and 
should be taken up on a field trip. 

Procedure. — I. 
Carefully dig up a 
number of different 
leguminous plants 
such as sweet clover, 
red clover, alfalfa, 
and garden peas. Be 
careful not to break 
off the tiny roots. 

2. Gently shake the 
soil from the roots 
and notice the small 
swellings attached to 
the roots. These 
Draw and describe 




NODULES ON A SWEET CLOVER ROOT. Cour- 

tcsy International Harvester Co. 



are called nodules or tubercles, 
them. 



Questions 

1. Where do they occur on the roots? How do those of 
different varieties of plants differ? 

2. What use have these nodules? 

3. What is in them? 

4. What may be the results if a legume had no nodules? 
(See Chapter 8, "An Introduction to Agriculture.") 



To the Teacher. — When you take this exercise up with the 
class, take the pupils out and have one or two of the boys 
dig ug some legumes for study. 



MAY 
Exercise 6 

MAKING SPRAYING SOLUTIONS 



191 



Object. — To make a gallon of each of the different 
spraying- solutions. 




A TYPE OF SPRAYER, EASILY HANDLED BY A BOY OR GIRL, WHICH GIVES EXCEL' 

LENT RESULTS. — Courtcsy U. S. Department of Agriculture 

Materials. — Copper sulphate, quicklime, arsenate of 
lead, Paris green, small scales. 

Procedure.—Stt A, B, C, for formulas for different 
mixtures. 



192 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

A Preparation of Bordeaux Mixture. 

The formula for common Bordeaux mixture is : 4-4-50, 
meaning, 

4 lbs. of copper sulphate 
4 lbs. of quicklime 
50 gal. of water 

1. How many ounces of the ingredients are needed 
for I gallon of water? 

2. Weigh these out. 

3. Good lime for this purpose should be lumpy. 
Slake the lime with hot water. Add the water no faster 
than it is taken up. When the lime has formed into a 
light powder, slowly add two quarts of water to get it 
into solution. 

4. Dissolve the required amount of copper sulphate in 
two quarts of water. 

5. Mix the two solutions, and test the mixture with 
an iron wire slightly filed at one end. If the amount of 
lime is insufficient, copper will be deposited on the bright 
part of the wire. In this case, add more lime until the 
copper no longer deposits on the wire. 

B. Paris Green Solution. 

The formula for the standard Paris Green solution is 

Paris green.... i pound 

Lime 2 pounds 

Water ; 200 gallons 

1. How many ounces of these two ingredients are 
needed for 5 gallons of the solution? 

2. Make the Paris green into a paste with a little 



MAY 193 

water, then dilute the paste with more water. Mix the 
lime as for Bordeaux mixture. 

3. Do not prepare this solution unless it can be used. 

C. Arsenate of Lead Spray. 
The most common formula for arsenate of lead is 
2-50; that is, 

2 pounds of arsenate of lead 
50 gallons of water 

1. How many ounces of lead arsenate are required for* 
5 gallons of water? 

2. If the solution can be used, make it. Add the 
arsenate to a little water to make a paste ; then add the 
rest of the water. 

3. Paris green or arsenate of lead may be combined 
with Bordeaux mixture if a combined fungicide and 
insecticide is desired. Generally /4 lb. Paris green or 2 
lbs. of arsenate are added to 50 gallons of Bordeaux 
mixture. 

To the Teacher. — Let the class working in one or more 
groups prepare small quantities of these spraying solutions. 
Do this at a time when you can take the class to a farm 
near by to demonstrate with several types of small sprayers 
the use of the solutions, spraying such plants as potatoes, 
cabbage, melons and tomatoes with the proper solutions. 

Exercise 7 

EAR-TO-ROW CORN TEST 

Object. — To plant short rows of corn from different 
ears, each row representing one ear, and to note the 
results. 

Materials. — Ears of corn, hand planters or hoes. 



194 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Explanation. — This is a demonstrational exercise re- 
quiring the work and cooperation of the entire class. 
The demonstration should be conducted in a field near 




LEFT. ROWS PLANTED FROM EARS WHICH GREW LOW ON PLANTS. RIGHT. FROM 
EARS WHICH GREW HIGH ON PLANTS. IT PAYS TO SELECT CORN FROM 

PLANTS IN THE FIELD. — Couvtesy Oliio Agricultural Experiment Station 

the school about to be planted to corn, and should be 
started about ten days before the owner of the field 
intends to plant it. The test consists in planting the 
ends of lo to 20 corn rows nearest the road, to corn, in 



MAY 195 

such a way that about 50 feet in each row is planted with 
corn from individual ears. The end of each of these 
rows should represent a single ear. The ends of the 
rows used in the test should be cultivated by the farmer 
whenever he cultivates the corn. The corn should be 
given to the farmer in return for the permission to run 
the test. 

Each member of the class should briefly write up the 
demonstration and should make a plan of the test plot. 

Procedure. — i. About two weeks before the corn is 
to be planted secure and test about 50 ears of corn of the 
same variety as that which the farmer is going to use in 
planting the field. 

2. When the tester ib opened, select a variety of ears 
if possible, some testing very weak, some weak, and some 
strong, but only as many ears as there are rows in the 
test. 

3. Plant the end of row one to corn from ear one and 
so on, and keep the data about the test of each ear. 

4. Observe from time to time the growth of the corn. 

5. Which row seems to have the largest and most 
vigorous plants? How did the corn planted in this row 
test ? Which row has the weakest plants ? How did the 
corn used in this row test? 

6. The stalks of the poor corn may be detasseled to 
prevent crossing without any effect upon the plants. 
This will eliminate any possibility of injury to the quality 
of the com the farmer plants in the field. 

To the Teacher. — Secure permission from a farmer near 
by to conduct this test. 



196 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Exercise 8 



POTATO TESTS 



Object. — To plant a few dozen hills of potatoes from 
each of three or four varieties grown in the community, 
to see which variety gives the best results. 





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CUT ILLUSTRATING HILL SELECTION OF SEED POTATOES. IT PAYS TO SELECT 

POTATOES FROM THE BEST HILLS FOR SEED. — Couftesy U. S. Department of 
Agriculture 

Materials. — Eight to ten good seed potatoes from three 
or four standard varieties. 

Explanation. — This exercise should be conducted on 
a potato field of a near-by farm as was the corn exercise 
outlined in the previous exercise. The only work this 
will make for the school will be the cutting and the 
planting of the potatoes. It is assumed that these 
potatoes will finish out rows of a regular potato field 



MAY 197 

and that when the field is cultivated and sprayed the 
experimental plot will receive the same treatment as the 
rest of the field. The crop should go to the farmer 
for the use of the land. A spraying demonstration may 
be introduced if desired. 

Procedure. — i. Cut the potatoes on the day the farmer 
is going to plant the field. See Exercise 2, April. 

2. Plant them at the same distances apart as the regu- 
lar field of potatoes is being planted. 

3. Observe, at occasional intervals, the characteristics 
of the plants and flowers and the growth of each variety 
planted. 

4. In the fall, have the potatoes dug by hand, digging 
and weighing separately the marketable potatoes of each 
variety, from an equal number of hills, to determine 
the comparative yields. 

5. Weigh the crop from an equal number of hills 
from the farmer's potatoes. Discuss the results. Was 
there any noticeable difference in yield? In favor of 
which variety? 

To the Teacher. — This is an excellent method of getting 
samples of common varieties of potatoes for study in Exer- 
cises 2 and 3 outlined for September. See F. B. 533: How 
to Produce Good Seed Potatoes. 

Exercise 9 

POULTRY SURVEY 

Object. — To make a poultry survey of the school dis- 
trict. 

Procedure. — i. The following is a suggested outline 
for a poultry survey, or census of the school district: 



198 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



POULTRY SURVEY 



School Dist. No. . 


Date 


Town of. 




.. Co.... 














Name of 
Farmer 


Number 

of 
Chickens 


Breed 


Number 

of 
Ducks 


Number 

of 
Geese 


Number 

of 
Turkeys 


2. 

3. 

|-tc. 















2. Conduct this survey exactly as outlined for the 
Corn Survey, Exercise ii, September. 

Project 1 

GROWING A PLOT OF BEANS 

Object. — To grow a plot of navy beans. 

Explanation. — The growing of navy beans is always a 
good project because there is a constant demand for the 
crop at good prices. Beans keep well, the crop is easily 
handled, and, with the exception of preparing the land, a 
boy or girl can do all the work himself. A patch cover- 
ing about i/io of an acre, if well cared for, should yield 
from one to two bushels of shelled beans. 

Preparation. — Some of the more important factors en- 
tering into this project are enumerated below. Study 
them before you start the work. 

1. What kind of a soil is best adapted to beans? 

2. Will beans grow well on a sour soil? 

3. Where on our farm is the best place to grow the 
beans? 

4. Should the field be fertilized? With what? 

5. What variety of beans is best adapted to our locality? 

6. Where can I buy the best grade of seed, guaranteed 
free of disease? Should I test the seed? How? 



MAY 199 

7. How should I plant the seed? How thick? How 
deep? 

8. How much seed shall I need? 

9. How should the seed bed be prepared? 

10. When should I plant the seeds? 

11. How, when, and how often should beans be culti- 
vated ? 

12. How should I harvest and cure the crop? 

13. How should I thresh them? 

Procedure. — i. Prepare a record book in which all ex- 
penses and time devoted to the project may be recorded. 
See Project 3, March. 

2. In the record book, draw to an accurate scale the 
plot, indicating number of rows and the distance be- 
tween the rows. Give the dimensions of the plot. De- 
termine the number of square rods in it. Determine what 
part of an acre it is. 

3. Devote several pages to the expenses which should 
include 

1. Land rental 5. Cost of any fertilizer 

2. Cost of seed used 

3. Cost of preparing field , 6. Other expenses 

4. All labor not your own 

4. On separate sheets keep track of your time. 

5. When the project is completed fill out a summary 
sheet as directed. 

1. Cost of seed 

2. Other cash expenses 

3. Total expense, not including your time 

4. Value of the crop 

5. Profit (not counting labor) 



200 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



6. Value of labor. 

7. Net profit 



Under value of crop give value of the beans sold and 
o,f those kept for home use ; also record the yield. 

6. Start all work at the proper time. 

7. Pay attention to the points you learned about grow- 
ing the crop. 

8. Record all expenses and all time items on the days 
they occur. 

References. — F. B. 289: Beans. F. B. 907: Bean Growing. Bui. 19: 
Bean Production, published by Soil Improvement Committee, Postal Tele- 
graph Building, Chicago, Illinois. Free. 

To the Teacher. — See the next project. Other similar 
projects are growing a plot of pop corn or sweet corn. In 
helping a child to select a project of this kind the market 
demands must be carefully considered. The parents may 
be able to help you to decide what crops would be most 
profitable to grow. 

Project 2 

GROWING A PLOT OF CORN 

Object. — To grow a plot of corn. 

Explanation. — The size of a land plat for a corn proj- 
ect for rural schools varies from i/io of an acre to 
one acre. The aim of the project is to raise the largest 
quantity and the best quality of corn at the cheapest cost 
of production. Nothing but pure bred corn of a variety 
grown in the community should be usedt for seed. 

Preparation. — i. Before starting this project make a 
study of the following questions : 

1. What kind of soil is best adapted to corn? 

2. Where on our farm may I get the best piece of land 
for my corn project? 



MAY 



201 



3. Should I fertilize it? When? With what? 

4. What variety of corn should I plant? Where can I 
buy pure bred seed? Shall I get shelled corn or ear corn 
for seed. 

5. Should I test the seed? 

6. How should I plant the corn? How thick? 

7. How should I plant the seed? 

8. How and how often should I cultivate the crop? 



Procedure. — i. Purchase and test the seed. 

2. Make preparations to have the land fertilized and 
plowed. 

3. Keep accurate records of the project. See Proce- 
dure under Project i, May. 

4. Prepare the seed 
bed. Plant the crop. 

5. Cultivate 
the crop. 

6. Keep accurate 
records and record all 
items each day. 

7. Close up the pro- 
ject with a summary 
sheet as suggested in 
Project I, May. 

8. In a project of 
this sort, in which 
horses and imple- 
ments are used, charge 10 or 15 cents per hour for your 
time, 10 cents per hour for the time of each horse used, 
$2.00 per acre for rental of implements, and $5.00 per 
acre for rent of land. 




PLANNING TOGETHER FOR A BUMPER CROP.- 

Courtesy Iowa State Teachers' College 



202 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Other projects of this kind are: — 

Growing a plot of potatoes 
Growing a plot of tomatoes. 
Growing a plot of onions. 

References.— F. B. 948: The Rag Doll Tester. F. B. 400: Methods of 
Planting Corn. F. B. 414: Corn Cultivation. F. B. 415: Seed Corn. 
F. B. 537: How to Grow an Acre of Corn. 



THINGS TO OBSERVE IN MAY 

Tillage implements Weeds in the garden 

Spraying machines Some well planned home 

Good gardens • gardens 

Planting of farm crops The opening of buds 

Planting of a garden Insects pollinating flowers 
The birds and insects of the 
garden 



JUNE 
Exercise 1 

A STUDY OF FLOWERS 

Object.— To make a study of the different parts of a 
flower. 

Materials. — Several simple flowers, hand magnifier, 
knife. 

Procedure. — i. Procure one or two simple flowers in 
blossom at this time. 

2. Note the shape of the flower. Has it an odor? 
Where is the odor produced? Why? 

3. What is the color of the flower? Why are some 
flowers brightly colored? What flowers have no color? 
Why not? 

4. The lower, outer set of parts of the flower, just 
below or surrounding the colored parts, are called the 
sepals. How many sepals are there? What name is 
given to all the sepals taken together? 

5. The colored parts of the flower, just inside or above 
the sepals, are the petals. How many petals are there? 
What collective name is given to the petals? 

6. The group of small structures inside of the petals 
are called the stamens. How many stamens are there? 
Of how many parts does each consist? What use have 
the stamens? Shake the flower over a piece of paper. 

203 



204 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Does a powdery mass drop from the flower? What is 
this? 

7. In the center of the circle of stamens is the pistil. 
It has three parts. What is the use of the pistil? The 
swollen lower part of the pistil is the ovary. In it the 
seeds develop. Cut an ovary cross-wise and look at the 
cut section with a hand magnifier. Can you see the little 
seeds? 

Questions 

1. How do flowers form seeds? 

2. Why do not all flowers have colored petals? 

3. What part of a flower is the silk on an immature corn 
plant ? 

Reference. — Any botany book. 

Exercise 2 

A STUDY OF INSECTS 

Object. — To study a few insects. 
Materials. — June beetle, and other insects. 
Procedure. — i Notice the body parts of the insects ; — 
the head, thorax, and abdomen. 

2. What is attached to the thorax? 

3. How many pairs of legs have the insects? To 
what part of the body are these attached ? 

4. How many pairs of wings have the insects? To 
what part of the body are these attached? What is 
the difference between the two pairs of wings? 

5. How many parts or segments has the abdomen? 

Questions 
I. How do insects breathe ? Can you see their breathing 

pores? 



JUNE 205 




THE LEGS AND WINGS ARE ATTACHED TO THE THORAX 

2. Could you drown an insect by putting its head under 
water ? 

3. Can you give an account of the complete life history 
of a June beetle? 

4. If possible, examine some of the grubs and pupae. 

References. — F. B. 543: Common White Grubs. F. B. 747: Grass- 
hoppers. F. B. 76; The Common Cabbage Worm. Any zoology text 
book. 

Exercise 3 

THE LIFE HISTORY OF A FLY 

Object. — To make a study of the life history of a fly. 

Materials. — An empty cigar box or old bucket, a piece 
of fresh meat, a piece of cheese cloth. 

Procedure. — i. Half fill an empty cigar box or old 
bucket with some moist soil and place upon the soil a 
piece of fresh meat. 

2. Expose the meat to the open air for a few hours, or 
until you have seen some flies hovering about it. 

3. Observe the meat carefully and notice if you can 
see any small eggs deposited by the flies upon it. If so, 



2o6 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

cover the top of the receptacle with a piece of cheese 
cloth and keep it in a warm place. 

4. Examine the meat daily for little maggots or larvae. 
How long has it taken the eggs to change to larvae? 

5. Several days after the maggots have all disappeared 
stir up the soil two or three times, at intervals of a few 
days, and see if you can see any pupae. How long has 
it taken a larva to change to a pupa? 

6. Keep the receptacle covered. Examine it daily for 
flies? How many days has it taken the pupae to change 
into flies? Flies undergo a complete metamorphosis in 
their development. Name each stage in the complete 
life cycle. 

7. Mention other insects which undergo a complete 
metamorphosis. 

8. Do grasshoppers undergo similar changes in their 
development ? 

References.— F. B. 459 and 851: House Flies. F. B. 540: The Stable 
Fly. Any zoology text book. 

To the Teacher. — Have each member of the class perform 
this experiment at home, or else let one or two of the boys 
work it at school to demonstrate it to the class. 

Exercise 4 

POULTRY PESTS 

Object. — To study poultry pests and to learn how to 
exterminate them. 

Explanation. — The common poultry pests are mites 
and Hce. The most troublesome is the mite, a little gray 
insect which becomes red after it has sucked blood from 
the poultry. Poultry lice have a pale dull yellow color 
and when seen under a hand magnifier show a segmented 



JUNE 207 

body. Lice gnaw the surface of the infected animal and 
eat the blood and tissue. The body of mites is not seg- 
mented. 

Materials. — Poultry, hand magnifier. 

Procedure. — i. With your teacher visit a nearby poul- 
try house to study mites and lice. Examine also the 
poultry house and the chickens at your home. 

2. Look carefully in the cracks and crevices of the 
perches and nests for mites. Brush some on a piece of 
paper and look at them with a hand magnifier. Mites in 
general infect the poultry only at night or when a hen 
is brooding or laying. 

3. Lice are usually found on the poultry, between the 
feathers, about the thighs, and rear of the body. Ex- 
amine several hens for lice. Put one or two on a piece 
of paper and observe them with a hand magnifier. 

Questions 

1. How can mites and lice be exterminated? 

2. What harm do lice and mites do? See F. B. 801; 
Mites and Lice on Poultry. Any poultry book. 

To the Teacher. — Make arrangements for the class with 
a farmer where it is possible to see these poultry pests or 
have the pupils do the work at home. 

Exercise 5 

STUDY OF A GARDEN 

Object. — To observe and study a well planned, well 
planted, and well cared for garden. 

Explanation. — Near all schools one should be able to 
find at least one really good garden. Much may be 
learned about gardening by observing a really good gar- 



208 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

den. The class should go with the teacher to study 
a garden as suggested below. 

Procedure. — i. Make a plan of the garden, indicating 
dimensions, each row of vegetables, and distances be- 
tween the rows. 



A WELL PLANNED GARDEN. TOMATOES ARE BEING TRAINED TO STAKES. LOUr- 

tesy Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station 

2. Get the intervals between corn, potatoes, tomatoes, 
etc., in the row. 

3. Ask when and how the garden was prepared. 

4. Ask when and with what the garden was fertilized. 

5. Ask why certain crops were planted in certain 
places. 

6. Find out if any spraying has been done. If it has, 
what was used, and for what purpose? 

7. Ask any questions which you think will help you 
in your garden work. 



JUNE 



209 




A WHEELED HAND CULTIVATOR MAKES GARDEN WORK EASY AND PRODUCES 

EXCELLENT RESULTS. — Courtesy W. Atlee Burpee 

Exercise 6 

SPRING WEEDS 

Object. — To get familiar with the names and char- 
acteristics of some of the early summer weeds. 

Procedure. — i. Read over Exercise 4, September, Fall 
Weeds. 

2. In studying spring weeds follow either one of the 
two suggested ways of studying weeds given in Exer- 
cise 4, September. 

3. Make a list of the common weeds found in the 
garden at this time. 



Exercise 7 

KEEPING MILK SWEET 



Object.— To learn what effect temperature has upon 
keeping milk sweet. 



210 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

Explanation. — Each member in the class should try 
this test at home. 

Materials. — Two pint Mason jars each half filled with 
sweet milk. 

Procedure. — i. Keep one of the jars of milk in a 
warm place and the other in a cold place, ice box if pos- 
sible. 

2. Examine both samples daily and find out which one 
sours first. 

Questions 

1. What causes milk to sour? 

2. Would dirty milk and clean milk kept in the same 
warm place sour at the same time ? 

3. Why does a low temperature check souring? 

Reference. — F. B. 976: Cooling Milk and Cream on the Farm. 

Exercise 8 

SWINE SURVEY 

Object. — To make a swine survey of the school dis- 
trict. 

Procedure. — The following is a suggested outline for 
a swine survey of the school district : 



School Dist. No. 



SWINE SURVEY. 

. . . Town of Co. 

Date 



I. 

2. 
3. 

fee. 



Name 

of 
Farmer 



Number 

of 

Sows 



Breed 



Number 

of 
Boars 



Breed 



Number 

of 

Pigs 



JUNE 



211 



2. Conduct this survey exactly as outlined for the 
Corn Survey, Exercise ii, September. 

Exercise 9 

SURVEY BOOKLET 

Object. — To combine all the different surveys made 
of the school district into one booklet and to draw a map 
of the district on w^hich some of the important agricul- 
tural facts are recorded. 




Lege-nd 

O DwtUUINO M HOL^TElNS 

fc School J Jcfseys^ 

t Silo <S> School Clcrk 

B SrORt . <3) SCtlOOL DlRLCTO^ 

» BLAC^5MlT^^O'«5P O SCHOOL TREAiuRW 
^ CRCAMtRt A McMtCROf TownBQ/«0 \ 

9 Mill • Town CLt:R^ i 

AtrALfA • Constable. » 

C GUCRN3EY3 « VlLU»Ct Of Wl 



^J 



Explanation. — The 
survey booklet, if it 
contains the surveys 
suggested for each 
month, will be a piece 
of work which will 
reflect great credit 
upon the pupil. It 
will show the agricul- 
tural conditions of 
the district, and, 
should interest the 
whole community. 
Many counties throughout the United States have been 
surveyed by the school children, and one entire state. 

Procedure. — i. Make an index of the surveys in the 
booklet. 

2. Draw a map of the school district as suggested, 
and on it indicate the most important facts deducted 
from the survey. 

3. Neatly bind the material together with colored con- 
struction paper to form a neat booklet. 



VlLU»CE.orWlTWlN 



A SCHOOL DISTRICT SURVEY MADE BY RURAL 

SCH90L STVD^-nTs.-^Cotirtesy Wisconsin 
Agricultural Experiment Station 



212 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 
Project 1 

SUMMER WORK 

Object. — To keep record of any definite piece of work 
done during the summer which has not been taken up 
under the heading of any projects Hsted in this book. 

Explanation. — If during the school year, no definite 
projects have been started, which will run into the sum- 
mer months requiring some definite summer work from 
the pupils, every boy or girl should think of what he 
can and would like to do and should talk over this matter 
with his parents. No boy or girl among you should 
aimlessly while away a whole summer. Let part of 
your time be devoted to some worth-while project which, , 
when carried on regularly and in a good business-like 
manner, will show that your summer vacation has not 
been wasted. 

Procedure. — i. Read over some of the projects which 
have been outlined. 

2. Think of what you can do and would most enjoy 
doing and being responsible for. Consult your parents. 

3. Plan the work. Keep records of what you do, be 
able at the close of the summer to show a neat booklet, 
giving all the information about your project. 

THINGS TO OBSERVE IN JUNE 

Some good stands of corn Injurious insects 

Some well managed chicks Good cultivation 

A good alfalfa field Well pruned trees 

Leaves of common trees A bee hive 
The work of earthworms 



APPENDIX 

Table Page 

1. Digestible Nutrients in Feeds 214 

2. Elements of Plant Food in Crops and Feeds . . 214 

3. Plant Food in Commercial Fertilizing Materials 215 

4. Location of State Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

tions 216 

5. Legal Weight of Various Commodities .... 217 

6. What Concentrated Feeds Weigh 218 

7. Approximate Capacity of Cylindrical Silos . . 218 

8. Modified Wolff-Lehmann Feeding Standard . . 219 

9. Laboratory and School Supply Companies . . . 220 

10. Number of Trees, Shrubs, and Plants to an Acre 221 

11. Gardeners' Planting Table . . 222-223 

12. Score Card for Commercial Eggs 224 

13. Score Cards for: 

Vegetables 225 

Fruits 226 

Canned Fruits and Vegetables 226 



213 



APPENDIX 



Table 1 



AVERAGE. NUMBER OF POUNDS OF DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS 
IN ONE HUNDRED LBS. OF FEED 

(From Henry's "Feeds and Feeding") 



Name of Feed 



Total Dry 
Matter in 
100 Lbs. 



Digestible 



Protein 



Carbo- 
hydrates 



Fat 



Concentrates 

Com — grain 

Corn meal 

Com and cob meal. 

Gluten feed 

Wheat — grain 

Wheat bran 

Wheat middlings. . . 

Barley — grain 

Oats — grain 

Oats — ground 

L. Oil meal 

Cottonseed meal 

Cows' milk 

Skim milk 

Butter milk 

Whey 

Meat scraps 

Tankage 

Roughages 

Timothy 

Red clover hay . . . . , 

Alfalfa hay 

Corn stover 

Wheat straw , 

Oat straw 

Barley straw 

Com silage 



Lbs. 
89.4 
85.0 
84.9 
90.8 
89.5 
88.1 
88.8 
89.2 
89.6 
88.0 
90.2 
92.6 
12.8 
9-4 
9.9 
6.2 
89.3 
93.0 

86.8 
84.7 
91-9 
59-5 
90.4 
90.8 
85.8 
26.4 



Lbs. 

7.8 

6.1 

4.4 

21.3 

8.8 

II. 9 

13.0 

8.4 

8.8 

10. 1 

30.2 

35.8 

3.4 

2.9 

3.8 

.6 

66.2 

50.1 

2.8 

7.1 

10.5 

1.4 

.8 
1-3 

• 9 
1.4 



Lbs. 

66.8 

64-3 

60.0 

52.8 

67.5 

42.0 

45.7 

65.3 

49.2 

52.5 

32.0 

23.2 

4.8 

5.3 

3.9 

5- 



42.4 
37.8 
40.5 
31.2 
35.2 
39-5 
40. 1 
14.2 



Lbs. 
4-3 
3 
2 
2 
I 
2 

4 



.5 
.9 
.9 

.5 

• 5 

.5 

.6 

4.3 

3.7 

6.9 

8.0 

3.7 

.3 

i.o 

.2 

13.4 

II. 6 

1.3 

1.8 

.9 

.7 
.4 
.8 
.6 
.7 



Table 2 



The table below shows the number of pounds of dry 
matter and the number of pounds of the three elements 
of plant food contained in 1,000 pounds of grains, seeds, 

214 



APPENDIX 



215 



cured hay, stalks, stovers, silages, and miscellaneous sub- 
stances. 



Materials 



Dry 

Matter 



Nitrogen 



Phos- 
phorus 



Potas- 
sium 



Grain and Seeds 

Corn 

Rye 

Wheat 

Oats 

Barley 

Buckwheat 

Soybeans 

Cotton Seed 

Cowpeas 

Cured Hays 

Timothy Hay 

Red Top V 

Red Clover 

Alsike Clover 

Sweet Clover 

Alfalfa 

Hairy Vetch 

Oat and Vetch 

Cured Straws and Stovers 

Wheat 

Rye 

Oats 

Barley 

Buckwheat 

Corn Stover (no ears) 

Miscellaneous 

Potato Tubers 

Sugar Beets 

Corii Silage 

Soybean Silage 

Tobacco Leaves 

Tobacco Stems 

Milk, whole 

Buttermilk 

Butter 

Fat Cattle 

Fat Hogs 

Barnyard Manure 



Lbs. 
894 
913 
895 
896 
892 
866 
883 
897 
854 



868 
911 
847 
903 
908 
919 
887 
850 

904 
929 
908 
858 
901 
595 



209 
135 
264 
258 
850 
850 

128 
100 



Lbs. 

16.5 

18 

19 

18 

19 

17 

53 

29 

32 



9.4 
12.6 

19.7 
20.5 
27.7 
23.4 
27.2 
20.5 

5.0 
50 
5.8 
7.0 
8.0 
6.1 



34-8 
24.6 
5.8 
25.0 
34-8 
24.6 



Lbs. 
3.1 
3.8 
3.8 
3.4 
3.4 
3.0 
4-5 
4.6 
4-4 



1.4 
1.6 
2.4 
2.2 
2.5 
2.7 
4.2 
2.6 



1.3 
0.9 
0.6 
1.7 



.7 

•4 

.5 

i.o 

3Q 

4.2 

1.9 
1.0 
.5 
7.0 
30 
1. 5 



Lbs. 
4-7 
4.8 
4.6 
4.0 
4.0 
2.5 

10.5 
9.0 

10. o 



II. 8 
8.5 
15.5 
11.5 
15.3 
14.8 
20.3 
10.5 

5.2 
71 
147 
8.7 
9.5 
9.0 



4.8 
3.1 
3.0 
1.7 
35.4 
24.4 

1.7 
1.7 

.25 
1.0 

1.0 

4.0 



To change the wt. of Nitrogen, N, to ammonia, NH3, multiply by 1.2. 
To change the wt. of phosphorus, P, to Phos. acid, P2O5, multiply by 2.3. 
To change the wt. of potassium, K, to potash, K2O, multiply by 1.2. 
See Chapter 7 for discussion of this table, compiled from Feeds and 
Feeding. 

— From "Soil Fertility and Permanent Agriculture,'' by Hopkins. 

Table 3 

This table shows the average amount of plant food 
contained in i,chdo pounds of common fertilizing ma- 
terials. 



2i6 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Material 



Nitrogen 



Phosphorus 



Soluble Insoluble 



Potassium 



Barnyard manure . . . 

Sodium nitrate 

Ammonium sulphate 

Raw bone meal 

Steamed bone meal . 
Raw phosphate rock 

Acid phosphate , 

Basic slag 

Wood ashes 

Kanit 

Potassium chloride . . 
Potassium sulphate . , 



200 
40 
10 



90 
125 

I2S 
10 
80 



SO 
120 
400 
400 



-Compiled from Hopkins' "Soil Fertility and Permanent Agriculture. 



Table 4 



LIST OF STATE EXPERIMENT STATIONS 
(Post-office address in italics. Bulletins are free to residents of a State) 



ALABAMA— 

College Station: Auburn 

Canebrake Station: Uniontown 
ARIZONA— Tmc^om 
ARKANSAS— Fayetteville 
CALIFORNIA— Berkeley 
COLORADO— Fort Collins 
CONNECTICUT— 

State Station: New Haven 

Storrs Station: Storrs 
DELAWARE— A^f-zc/arfe 
FLORIDA — Gainesville 
GEORGIA— Experiment 
IDAHO — Moscow 
ILLINOIS— Urbana 
INDIANA— Lafayette 
IOWA— Ames 
KANSAS— Manhattan 
KENTUCKY— Lexington 
LOUISIANA— 

State Station: Baton Rouge 

Sugar Station: Audubon Park, 
New Orleans 

North La. Station: Calhoun 
MAINE— Orono 
MARYLANT)— College Park 
MASSACHUSETTS— ^m/t^jf 
MICHIGAN— East Lansing 
MINNESOTA— University Farm: 

St. Paul 
MISSISSIRRI— Agricultural Col- 
lege 
MISSOURI— 

College Station: Columbia 



Fruit Station: Mountain Grove 
MONTANA— Bozeman 
NEBRASKA— Lincoln 
NEVADA— Reno 
NEW HAMPSHIRE— Z)ur//om 
NEW JERSEY— A^^w Brunswick 
N. MEXICO— Agricultural College 
NEW YORK 

State Station: Geneva 

Cornell Station : Ithaca 
NORTH CAROLINA— 

College Station: West Raleigh 

State Station: Raleigh 
N. DAKOTA— ^^ncM/^Mra/ College 
OLIIO—Wooster 
OKLAHOMA— Stilhvater 
OREGON— Cor nwallis 
PENNSYLVANIA— i'fa^^ College 
PORTO RICO— Mavaguez 
RHODE ISLAND— Kingston 
S. CAROLINA— Clemson College 
S. DAKOTA— Brookings 
T E N N E S S E E—Knoxville 
TE.X AS— College Station 
VTAH— Logan 
VERMONT— Burlington 
VIRGINIA— Black sburg 

Truck Station: Norfolk 
WASHINGTON— Pullman 
WEST VIRGINIA— M or gantown 
WISCONSIN— Madison 
WYOMING— Laramie 



APPENDIX 217 

Send for the list of available bulletins of your State 
Experiment Station. 

Table 5 



LEGAL WEIGHT OF VARIOUS COMMODITIES 

(Minimum weight, by U. S. Statute) 



Pounds per Pounds per 

Bushel Bushel 

Apples, dried 26 Lime, unslaked 30 

Barley 48 Malt 38 

Beans, castor 46 Millet seed 50 

Beans, white 60 Oats 32 

Bluegrass seed 44 Onions 57 

Bran 20 Peas 60 

Buckwheat 48 Peas, ground pea meal 42 

Clover seed 60 Potatoes, Irish 60 

Coal 80 Potatoes, sweet 55 

Corn, shelled 56 Rye 56 

Corn, in the ear 70 Salt, fine 167 

Corn meal 48 Salt, coarse 151 

Flaxseed S6 Timothy seed 46 

Hemp seed 44 Turnips 55 

Hungarian grass seed 50 Wheat 60 



Rule for Estimating Hay 

Hay is often sold in the mow or stack where the 
weight has to be estimated. For this purpose 400 cubic 
feet of hay is considered a ton. The actual weight of 
400 cubic feet of hay will vary according to the 
quality of the hay, time of cutting, position in the 
mow, etc. For making an estimate in a given case mul- 
tiply together the length, breadth and height of the mow 
or stack in feet and divide the product by 400. The 
quotient will be the number of tons. 

Measuring Corn in Bulk 

Two cubic feet of sound, dry corn in the ear will make 
a bushel shelled. To get the quantity of shelled corn in 



2i8 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 

a crib of corn in the ear, measure the length, breadth and 
height of the crib, inside of the rail ; multiply the length 
by the breadth, and the product by the height; then 
divide the product by two, and you have the number of 
bushels in the crib. 

Table 6 

W^HAT CONCENTRATED FEEDS WEIGH 



FEED 

Dried beet pulp. 

Dried brewers' grains 

Corn and cob meal 

Corn and oat feed 

Com bran 

Corn meal 

Corn, whole 

Cottonseed meal 

Cotton seed 

Germ oil meal 

Gluten feed 

Gluten meal 

Hominy meal 

Kafir meal 

Linseed meal (new process) . . 
Linseed meal (old process) . . 

Malt sprouts 

Wheat bran 

Wheat, ground 

Wheat middlings (flour) 

Wheat middlings (standard) . 
Wheat, whole 



Weight of 


Pound 


One Quart 


Measures 


Pounds 


Quarts 


• 55 


1.8 


.6 


1.7 


1.4 


.7 


.7 


1.4 


•S 


2.0 


1.5 


.7 


1.7 


.6 


1.5 


.7 


I .0 


I.O 


1.4 


.7 


1-3 


.8 


1.7 


.6 


I.I 


• 9 


1.6 


.6 


.9 


I.I 


I.I 


•9 


.6 


1.7 


.5 


2.0 


1.7 


.6 


1.2 


.8 


I .9 


.5 


.8 


1.3 



Table 7 

APPROXIMATE CAPACITY IN TONS OF CYLINDRICAL SILOS 



Depth of 
Silo- 
Feet 








Inside Diameter of Silo— 


-Feet 










10 


12 


14 


15 


16 


18 


20 


21 


22 


23 


24 


25 


26 


20 


26 
28 
30 
32 
34 
36 
38 
40 
42 
45 
47 
49 
51 


38 

40 

46 
49 
52 
55 
58 
61 
64 
68 
70 
73 


51 
55 
59 
62 
66 
70 
74 
78 
83 
88 
93 
96 
lOI 


59 
63 
67 
72 
76 
81 
85 
90 
95 
100 
105 
no 
115 


67 
72 
77 
82 
87 
90 
97 
103 
108 
114 
119 
125 
131 


85 
91 
97 
103 
no 

116 
123 
130 
137 
144 
151 
158 
166 


105 
112 
120 
128 
135 
143 
152 
160 
169 
178 
187 

195 
205 


115 
123 
132 
141 
149 
158 
168 
177 
186 
196 
206 
215 
226 


127 
135 
145 
154 
164 
173 
184 
194 
204 
215 
226 
236 
248 


138 
148 
158 
169 
179 
190 
201 
212 
223 
235 
247 
258 
271 


151 
161 
172 
184 
195 
206 
219 
231 
243 
256 
269 
282 
295 


163 
175 
187 
199 
212 
224 
237 
251 
264 
278 
292 
305 
320 


177 


21 


189 


22 


202 




216 


24 


229 


25 


242 


26 


257 


27 


271 


28 


285 




300 


30 


315 


31 


330 


32 


346 



APPENDIX 



219 



Table 8 

MODIFIED WOLFF-LEHMANN FEEDING STANDARDS FOR 
FARM ANIMALS 



Dairy Cows 


Digestible 
Protein 
Lbs. 


Total 
, Digestible 
■ Nutrients 

Lbs. 


I. Dairy Cows: 

For maintenance of i,ooo-lb. cow 

To allow for maintenance add: 
For each lb of 3 o per cent, milk 


0.700 

0.047-0.057 
0.049-0.061 
0.054-0.065 
0.057-0.069 
0.060-0.073 
0.064-0.077 
0.067-0.081 


7.925 
286 


a a ««^_« « « .... 


0.316 
0.346 
0.376 
0.402 
0.428 
0.454 


« « « « 4 o " « « ..::.:::::: 


" " ""4.5" " " 


« « « « so « « « 


« " « « is " « " 


« « « " 6 « « « . . 







Per Day per 


1,000 lbs. Live Weight 


Animals 

Steers, Horses, Colts, Sheep 

and Swine 


Dry 
Matter 

Lbs. 


Digestible 
' Protein 

Lbs. 


Total 

Digestible 

.Nutrients 

Lbs. 


2. Growing, fattening steers: 

Weight 500 lbs 


23.9 
23.2 
22.6 
21.4 
20.2 
19.7 
18. 1 
17.3 


2.1 
2.0 
2.0 
2.0 
2.0 
1.8 
1.6 
1.5 


15.8 


" 600 " 


15.4 
14.8 
14-3 
13 6 


« 700 " 


« 800 " 


" 900 " 


" I 000 " 


13. S 

12.6 
12 3 


" 1,100 " 

" 1,200 " 






3. Horses: 

Idle 


13. 0-18.0 
15.0-22.0 
16.0-24.0 
18.0-26.0 


. 8-1 . 
1.1-1.4 
I. 4-1. 7 

2 . 0-2 . 2 


7.0-9.0 
10. 0-13. I 


At light work 




12.8-15.6 


At heavy work 


15.9—19 5 






4. Growing colts over: 


18.0-22.0 


I. 6-1. 8 








5. Fattening Lambs: 

Weight 50— 70 lbs. 


27.0-30.0 
28.0-31.0 
27.0-31.0 


3.1-3.3 
2.5-2.8 
2.3-2.5 


19.0-22 






90—110 


19.0—23 .0 






6. Fattening Pigs: 

Weight 30— 50 lbs. 


46.2-51 .0 
37 . 0-40 . 8 
32.4-35.8 
29.0-32.0 
25.5-28.1 
22.4-24.8 


7.8-8.5 
5-5-6. 
4. 4-4-9 
3.5-3.9 
3.0-3.4 
2.6-2.9 


41.0-45.4 
32 .9-36.4 


" 50—100 " 


" 100-150 " 


28.8-31.9 


" 150-200 " 


25. 8-28. S 


" 200-250 " , 


22.7-25.0 


" 250-300 " 


20.0-22.0 







220 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 





Per Day per 100 lbs. Live 
Weight 


Poultry 


Digestible 
Protein 

Lbs. 


Total 
Digestible 
Nutrients 

Lbs. 


7. Wheeler Standards for poultry: 
For maintenance — 

Hens of 5 to 7 lbs. weight . ... 


0.40 
0.50 

0.6s 
1 .00 


2 8s 


Hens of 3 to s lbs. weight 

For hens in full laying — 

Hens of 5 to 8 lbs. weight 


4.12 


Hens of 3 to 5 lbs. weight ... ... 


5 .54 









— From "Feeds and Feeding Abridged," by Henry & Morrison. 

Exercises 8, Sept., 6, Nov., and 7, Nov., explain the use of the above 

table. To illustrate the calculation for determining from the table, the 

nutritive ratio of any of the requirements, let us take the requirements 

for laying hens weighing 3 to 5 lbs. 

5.54 — i-oo = 4.54 lbs. of CH + (Fat x 2.25) 

4.54 -i- 1. 00 = 4.54. " nutritive ratio = I :4.54. 

(See exercise 5, October). 

Table 9 

LABORATORY AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES 

The following school supply companies and manufac- 
turers have much material pertaining to agriculture for 
sale. From them may be purchased milk testing outfits, 
specimens of grains and weed seeds, charts of animals, 
score cards, litmus paper, chemicals, and in fact most 
anything needed in the school room. Write for their 
catalog, stating what kind of material you desire. 

Central Scientific Co Chicago, 111. 

W. M. Welch Scientific Co Chicago. 111. 

Chicago Apparatus Co Chicago, 111. 

Industrial Educational Co Indianapolis, Ind. 

The Columbian School Supply Co Indianapolis, Ind. 

The Kauffman-Lattimer Co Columbus, Ohio, 

L. E. Knott Apparatus Co Boston, Mass. 

The Creamery Package Co Chicago. 111., and 

(Milk testing supplies only) Philadelphia, Pa. 

The American Fork and Hoe Co Cleveland, Ohio. 

S. L. Allen & Co Cleveland, Ohio. 

(These two companies handle garden implements.) 
The Prang Co Chicago. 111., and 

(Colored construction paper for agricultural booklets.) New York City 
Gaylord Bros _. Syracuse. N. Y. 

(Index cards, note book covers, bulletin covers, and 
gummed letters and numbers.) 
University of Chicago Press Chicago, 111. 

(Outline maps for note books.) 
Modern Mfg. Co 543 N. Lawrence St. , 

(Paper pots and bands.) Philadelphia, Pa. 



APPENDIX 221 

Table 10 

NUMBER OF TREES OR SHRUBS REQUIRED TO SET ONE ACRE 

1 X 3 ft. 8 in ii,88o lo x 12 ft 363 

2 X 3 ft. 8 in 5.940 12 X 12 ft 302 

2 X 5 ft 4.356 12 X 16 ft 226 

3 X 3 ft 4.840 16 X 16 ft 170 

3 X 6 ft 2.420 18 X 18 ft 134 

3 X 8 ft 1,815 20 X 20 ft 108 

4 X 4 ft 2,y22 20 X 30 ft 72 

4 X 6 ft 1,185 24. X 24 it 75 

5 X 5 ft 1,742 25 X 25 ft 69 

5 X 8 ft 1,089 30 X 30 ft 49 

6 X 6 ft 1,210 32 X 32 ft 42 

6 X 8 ft 907 34 X 34 ft 37 

8 X 8 ft 680 36 X 36 ft 33 

8 x10 ft 544 38 x38 ft 30 

10 x 10 ft 435 40 x 40 ft 27 

To determine the number of trees per acre for any 
given distance, multiply the distance between the trees 
in the row by the width of the row. Take the resulting 
answer and divide 43,560 by it. The resulting figures 
will give you the number of trees per acre. 

For example : To determine the number of trees, plant- 
ed 30 X 30, required to set one acre : 30 x 30 ^ 900. 

43,560 -^ 900 = 49 trees per acre. 

NUMBER OF PLANTS REQUIRED TO SET ONE ACRE 

I X I foot 43,560 2x3 feet 7,260 

I X I foot 6 inches 29,040 2x2 feet 6 inches 8,712 

1x2 feet 21,780 2x3 feet 6 inches 6,223 

I X 3 feet 14,520 2x4 feet 5.445 

1x4 feet 10,890 3x3 feet 4.840 

2x2 feet 10,890 3x4 feet 3.630 

To determine the number of plants per acre for any 
given distance, multiply the distance between the plants 
in the row by the distance the rows are apart. Take the 
resulting answer and divide 43,560 by it. The result- 
ing figures wnll give you the number of plants per acre. 

For example : To determine the number of plants, 
planted 2 feet by 4 feet, required to set i acre : 2 x 4 = 8 ; 
43,560 --8 =-5,445- 

— From Stark Bros. "More Profitable Fruit Crozi'iug.'* 



222 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



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AJCCrtcSSojO O 3 cSjajS S'^-S.g.g.o 3 4) 



224 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



Table 12 

SCORE CARD FOR COMMERCIAL EGGS 



SCALE OF POINTS 


Perfect 
Score 


Student's 
Score 


Corrected 
Score 


REMARKS 


I. Weight . . 


20 
10 
ID 

10 
10 
10 

15 
15 
















3 Shape 








4. Strength and Smooth- 








5. Condition of Shell 








6. Uniformity of Color. 








7. Quality (a) Fullness 
(Small Air Cell) 








(b) Clearness. . . 
















Total . .. 


100 

















DISQUALIFICATIONS 

Double yolk, cracked and extremely dirty shells, extremely shrunken, 
spotted or loose contents in any one egg of the dozen. 

I. WEIGHT 
24 to 28 ounces per dozen. Cut two points for each ounce over or 

2. UNIFORMITY OF SIZE 
All eggs should be of the same size. 

3. SHAPE 

Should be typical egg shape, free from ridges, and should be uniformly 
the same for the entire dozen. 

4. STRENGTH AND SMOOTHNESS OF SHELL 
Shell should be free from wrinkles, cracks and rough places. 



5. CONDITION OF SHELL 

Free from dirt or stain, and free from gloss, showing that the egg is 
fresh and unwashed. 



APPENDIX 



225 



6. UNIFORMITY OF COLOR 

If white, the eggs should be all pure white and of the same shade; if 
brown, the color may be any shade, but should be uniformly the same for 
the entire dozen. 

7. QUALITY 

Test with candlcr. A very small air cell not larger than a dime indicates 

freshness. The egg must appear clear and free from dark-colored spots, 

the white thick, the yolk barely visible. Large air cells or floating yolks 
are disqualifications. 



Entry No Weight 

Breed of Fowls Class (Brown or White) 

Student's Name 

Date Standing 



Table 13 



Vegetable . 
Class 



SCORE CARD FOR VEGETABLES. 

Variety 

Exhibit No. 



Points 



Perfect 



Scorer's 



Corrected 



Uniformity 

Symmetry 

Quality 

Texture 

Freedom from blemishes . . . 
Commercial or table value. 



Total. 



Remarks 

Name of scorer Date . 



226 LABORATORY, FIELD AND PROJECT GUIDE 



SCORE CARD FOR APPLES— PLATE. 
OR OTHER FRUITS. 
Variety Exhibit No. 



Point 


Perfect 


Scorer's 


Corrected 




10 
25 
20 
20 
25 

lOO 












Freedom from blemish . . 






Texture and flavor 




* 














Total 










* 



Remarks '. 

Name of scorer Date . 



SCORE CARD FOR CANNED FRUIT OR VEGETABLES. 
Kind Variety Exhibit No.. . . . 



Points 


Perfect 


Scorer's 


Corrected 


Flavor: The flavor should be agreeable and as 
nearly as possible that of the fresh, perfect 
fruit or vegetable 

Texture : Well cooked — so that it is tender, yet 


45 

25 

ID 
10 

lO 
lOO 










Condition: Liquid clear. No sign of decom- 
position. Product should be uniform in size, 
well arranged in can, and of good color 






Purity: Free from foreign material, preserva- 






Package: Cans should be uniform and of 
quality, shape, and size practicable to the 
average home. The labels should be suitable, 
uniform and neat 












Total 













Remarks 

Name of scorer Date 

—From Bui. 281 — U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



(1) 



